WASHINGTON — President Trump demanded “delayed courage” from the United Kingdom and other nations to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil chokepoint where over a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows through annually.
Trump, in a series of Truth Social posts, accused US allies like France of being “VERY UNHELPFUL” in the war and bashed the UK for declining “to get involved in the decapitation of Iran,” even as the Brits were griping about how the chokepoint in the strait has affected their oil supply.
The president later clarified that the US was not preparing to withdraw military assets from the region, but added, “at some point, I will, not quite yet.”
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP
“Countries have to come in and take care of it. Iran has been decimated, but they’re going to have to come in and do their own work,” he told CBS News.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s remarks but noted that there was “lots” the US was “doing as well, some of which is known, some of which is not known, to set the conditions” for the strait to open back up.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” the president challenged.
“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” he added. “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands ahead of a bilateral meeting at Chequers, near Aylesbury, England, Jan. 9, 2025. AP
Hegseth, in a Pentagon press conference, also underscored that the US — the world’s largest producer of oil — is far less dependent on petroleum from the strait than other nations.
The defense secretary warned Iran that it should “open it for business … or we have options.”
“It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy,” Hegseth also chided. “We use less than most, in fact, dramatically less than most. So the world ought to pay attention to be prepared to stand up.”
Back in 2024, the US garnered over 2% of its oil consumption through the strait, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. Notably, due to the globalization of oil markets, American consumers still feel the pinch of the crisis at the oil chokepoint.
Prices at the gas pump jumped past $4 per gallon on average nationally on Tuesday, according to data from the American Automobile Association. Before Operation Epic Fury, it was below $3 a gallon. Oil prices have also surged past $100 a barrel.
Iran has been causing mayhem at the strait, which sits off its southwest coast, to extract an economic toll on the US and prompt its allies to sour on the war.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended his decision not to jump into the fight, posting on X Monday that “I will always make decisions that are in the national interest.”
“It’s why we aren’t getting dragged into the Middle East conflict.”
Trump also blasted the French, accusing Paris of halting “planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies” from flying over their territory.
“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!,” he jabbed.
The president suggested US allies should “just take” the Strait of Hormuz themselves to replenish lost oil. Anadolu via Getty Images
The warnings come after Trump gave Tehran an April 6 deadline to return to the negotiating table or risk having its energy infrastructure — including electrical plants and oil wells — completely obliterated in a bombing campaign.
He threatened that the US would take Kharg Island, a central hub in Iran’s oil exports, out of the Persian Gulf, if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened.
Iran’s parliament has been mulling a toll system that would allow certain oil vessels to safely pass through the critical waterway.