In remarks filled with reproaches, the president asserted that control of the Strait of Hormuz is not his country's responsibility and that nations depending on this vital maritime route should take care of its protection, urging allies to "get their own oil."
The conflict, which has been ongoing for over a month since the United States and Israel began airstrikes, has resulted in a devastating toll of over 3,000 deaths and a deep global energy crisis. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, has driven the price of Brent crude to $107 per barrel, while gasoline prices in the United States have surpassed $4 per gallon. Trump deemed the negotiation of a peace agreement "irrelevant," insisting that the hard part has already been done and Iran has been essentially "decimated."
This stance has strained relations with Europe to the maximum. Trump criticized the United Kingdom and France for their lack of support in a war in which they were not consulted, singling out Paris for not allowing the overflight of supplies to Israel. Meanwhile, Spain has become the most critical country, closing its airspace to aircraft involved in the conflict, and Italy has restricted the use of military assets at the Sigonella base for offensive operations.
Violence in the region continues unabated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue "crushing the terrorist regime," and in Baghdad, the abduction of American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been reported, an act attributed to the Kataib Hezbollah militia. In this scenario, the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush has set sail for the Middle East, while the world awaits Trump's speech scheduled for Wednesday night.