Trump thinks the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened very soon, wants help

The Strait of Hormuz can be reopened very soon, US President Donald Trump believes. He said this today at the White House, according to Reuters, where he again called on countries around the world to help reopen the key shipping route through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally pass, but which Iran is now blocking. Trump also questioned whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive.

The US military announced this evening that around 200 American troops had been wounded in the conflict with Iran, most of them lightly. According to the same statement, 180 troops have returned to duty.

Thirteen members of the US armed forces have been killed so far, the AP news agency reported. At least 1,300 people have been reported killed in Iran, at least 880 more in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, the agency added.

Trump believes countries around the world should “gladly” help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Some (countries) are very enthusiastic about it and some are not. Some of them are countries we have helped for many, many years,” he said at the White House, adding that the level of enthusiasm mattered to him.

Some countries have told the US president they are on their way, he said, but he did not specify which ones. In a later appearance, he said France could help reopen the strait; he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. Britain could also get involved. Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would announce the names of the countries willing to help the US.

Some allies have already ruled out taking part in such a mission. These include Spain, Italy and Germany. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the war with Iran is not a matter for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which the US and Israel did not consult before the operation.

Trump also remarked today that he was not sure whether Iran had laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

He also said US attacks on the Middle Eastern country had focused primarily on military and commercial targets, hitting more than 7,000 targets and destroying 30 mine-laying vessels. Today, he said, they also hit three facilities producing missiles and drones.

Trump added that Tehran wants to reach a deal, but the United States does not know its leaders. He also said it was unclear whether Supreme Leader Khamenei, elected after the killing of his predecessor and father, Ali Khamenei, was alive or not.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Friday that Iran’s newly selected leader had been wounded and was likely disfigured. Russia today declined to comment on a report by the Kuwaiti outlet Al-Jarida that Mojtaba Khamenei is currently being treated in Moscow.