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President Donald Trump on Monday said the US military campaign against Iran had continued “in full force” over the past few days, adding that since beginning of the war Washington had struck more than 7,000 targets across the Islamic Republic.
Trump was speaking ahead of a lunch at the Kennedy Center.
Trump on Monday repeated his call to nations to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and complained that some were not very enthusiastic about providing help to Washington.
Trump wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me,” Trump said at an event at the White House.
He also said some nations did say they would be willing to help but Trump did not utter the names of any countries.
US and Israeli strikes on Iran have jolted global energy markets, sending oil prices higher and raising gasoline costs for US consumers. The surge threatens to complicate Trump’s domestic economic agenda and could weigh on Republican prospects in November midterm elections.
Several US allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Germany, Spain and Italy were among allies that ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, at least for now. Other countries were more circumspect, with Britain and Denmark saying they would consider ways they might help, but emphasising a need to de-escalate and avoid getting dragged into the war. France has said it will probably help.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany would not participate in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
“We lack the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or NATO required under the Basic Law. It was therefore clear from the outset that this war is not a matter for NATO,” Merz said at a news conference in Berlin.
“The United States of America and Israel did not consult us prior to this war either. As for Iran, there has never been a joint decision on the ‘whether’ of the matter. That is why the question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise,” he added.
Agencies
