U.S. President Donald Trump on the 18th (local time) said, "I wonder what would happen if we remove the remnants of the terrorist state and have the countries that use that strait take responsibility."
Trump wrote this on his social media, Truth Social, that morning and said, "Then some of our unresponsive allies will start to move quickly."
Trump's remark is seen as an attempt to pressure allies to cooperate, unlike the previous day's stance that "no help is needed."
The United States imports a small share of crude oil from the Middle East and has low use of the Strait of Hormuz, while countries in Asia and Europe import a high share of Middle Eastern crude, so the security of the Strait of Hormuz has a large impact on them.
Earlier, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "China, France, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries will send warships here so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer threatened."
European countries drew a line, saying "this is not our war." In response, Trump, through a Truth Social post the previous day, wrote "we don't need anyone's help" and hinted at possible retaliation against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).