US President Donald Trump urged allies to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened to escalate conflict in response to US strikes on key military targets in the Persian Gulf, Reuters reported.
In a post on social media, Trump said that countries that receive oil through the strategic sea corridor should help ensure the safety of shipping.
„Countries around the world that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz need to take care of that passage, and we will help – "very much," he wrote, adding that the United States would coordinate with its allies to ensure the normal movement of commercial ships.
The call came as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its third week. According to agency estimates, the conflict has already claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and has led to serious turmoil in global energy markets.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy routes - it carries approximately 20 percent of global oil supplies and a significant portion of the liquefied natural gas trade.
US forces have struck military targets on the Iranian island of Kharg - a key outpost in the Persian Gulf that handles about 90 percent of Iran's oil exports. According to the US Central Command, more than 90 sites were hit, including naval mine storage facilities, missile bunkers and other military facilities.
Iran, for its part, said it would retaliate against any attacks on its energy infrastructure. The country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that the Strait of Hormuz must be closed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said that Tehran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities and warned that American companies or companies in which the US has shares in the region could be attacked.
The tension is also spreading to the Persian Gulf states. Iran fired nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones at the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, the country's Defense Ministry said.
Tehran warned civilians to leave areas around key ports in the UAE, including Jebel Ali in Dubai, Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.
In the emirate of Fujairah - a major global shipping hub - some oil loading operations were temporarily suspended, energy industry sources said. Local authorities said a drone had been intercepted, but firefighters were working to put out a fire caused by falling debris.
Fujairah is strategically important for oil supplies, as terminals there handle about 1 million barrels a day of the UAE's "Murban" crude - approximately 1 percent of global consumption.
Meanwhile, some countries are already discussing possible actions to protect shipping. Britain said it was in talks with allies about various options for ensuring security in the region, and France is continuing its efforts to create an international coalition to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Switzerland, which traditionally follows a policy of neutrality, said it had refused two requests from the United States for reconnaissance planes to fly through its airspace en route to Iran.
Meanwhile, discontent is growing in the Gulf states as the region finds itself embroiled in a war that most Arab states have not supported but which is already having serious economic and military consequences for them.