The United States is reportedly weighing sending more warships to the Middle East in preparation to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, sources told the Wall Street Journal that even with the additional warships, the US wouldn’t begin escorting vessels until the threat from Iran is reduced.
“That could take up a month or more” as the US and Israel continue to pound Tehran with missiles and drones.
‘US would escort ships in Strait of Hormuz if…’
In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said the United States would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed.
When asked about helping oil tankers pass through the key shipping strait, Trump was quoted as saying, “We would do it if we needed to. But, you know, hopefully things are going to go very well. We’re going to see what happens.”
He shared no other details.
His comments come as the United States and other countries face spiking oil and gas prices, with the US-Israel-Iran conflict entering its 14th day.
Trump warns Iran – ‘hitting them Iran very hard’
US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Friday that Iran could face intensified attacks over the next week. “[The US is going to be hitting them [Iran] very hard over the next week,” he told Fox News, as per Reuters.
“We’re going to be hitting them very hard over the next week,” he added in the interview with Fox’s Brian Kilmeade that aired in part on its “Fox & Friends” programme.
Oil prices stay over $100 per barrel
With growing global concerns about a possible energy crisis and no end to the war in sight, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, remained over $100 per barrel.
Brent prices spiked as high as about $120 per barrel and are about 40% higher than when Israel and the United States launched the war on 28 February.
However, Reuters reported that oil prices dipped on Friday as an Indian tanker sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and the US put forth measures to try and ease supply concerns, but were on track for weekly gains as Gulf disruptions from the Middle East conflict broadly persisted.
Iran war nearing end?
While Trump reportedly said earlir this week that “Iran is about to surrender”, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran would fight on, and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut as leverage against the United States and Israel.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States stood to make significant money from oil prices, driven higher by the Iran conflict. But stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons was far more important, he said.
