Washington, March 16, (AHN) President Donald Trump on Monday criticised some US allies for hesitating to assist Washington in securing the Strait of Hormuz, saying several nations whose economies depend heavily on the waterway had been reluctant to contribute ships or equipment.​

Speaking at the White House before a meeting with board members of the Trump Kennedy Centre, Trump said the United States had taken the lead in confronting Iran’s maritime threat but expected other countries to play a greater role.​

“We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait far more than ours,” Trump said, noting that the US receives “less than 1 per cent of our oil from the strait.”​

He pointed to major Asian economies as being far more dependent on the passage. “Japan gets 95 per cent, China gets 90 per cent,” he said, while “South Korea gets 35 per cent.”​

Trump said Washington had already moved to neutralise Iran’s naval threat in the region. “We’re hammering their capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz with more than 30 mine-laying ships destroyed,” he said.​

But he said some countries had hesitated when asked to help secure the waterway.​

“We have some countries where we have 45,000 soldiers, great soldiers, protecting them from harm’s way,” Trump said. “And when we want to know, do you have any minesweepers? Well, we’d rather not get involved, sir.”​

The President suggested that reluctance from certain partners confirmed his long-standing criticism that the United States often bears a disproportionate burden in global security.​

“I just want the fake news media and everybody else to remember that,” Trump said. “Because when I’ve been a big critic of all of the protecting of countries, because I know that we’ll protect them.”​

Pressed by reporters about international participation in securing the strait, Trump said several nations had indicated they would join the effort but declined to name them.​

“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” he said. “Some are very enthusiastic about it.”​

When asked specifically about France, Trump said he had spoken to President Emmanuel Macron and rated his response “on a scale of 0 to 10” as “an eight.”​

He also voiced disappointment with Britain’s response to US requests for support earlier in the conflict.​

“I was not happy with the UK,” Trump said, recalling that he had asked London to send aircraft carriers but that the response came only after the fighting had largely subsided.​

“I said I don’t need them after the war has ended, and once I need it before the war,” he said.​

Trump emphasised that the United States did not depend heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for energy supplies and was therefore urging countries that rely more on the route to contribute to its security.​

“We don’t need oil, we have all the oil we need for ourselves,” he said.