US President Trump warned that if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization refuses to help open up the Strait of Hormuz, it will face a “very bad” future. He also urged Europe and China to join the effort, and revealed that he does not rule out postponing his scheduled trip to Beijing.
According to a Financial Times report on the 15th, Trump delivered a clear signal to European allies in a phone interview, demanding that various countries must participate in his military actions against Iran.
Regarding the Beijing authorities, Trump also exerted considerable pressure, demanding their assistance in clearing this crucial maritime energy lifeline.
He emphasized that Europe and China rely on Persian Gulf oil far more than the United States does, saying, “If there is no response or if there's a negative response, I think the future of NATO will be very unfavorable.”
On the 14th, Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to join the “team operation” to clear this key waterway that carries 1/5 of the world’s oil transport.
Trump said he expects China to help open up the Strait of Hormuz before his planned trip to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping at the end of this month, “I think China should help too, since 90% of China’s oil passes through this strait.” Trump noted that waiting until after the “Trump-Xi meeting” to take action would be too late.
He said: “We want to know the answer before then. (Two weeks) is a long time.” He also said the trip to China might be delayed, “We might delay it,” but he did not specify how long the delay might be.