ISTANBUL, Turkiye: United States (US) President, Donald Trump, on Saturday said that countries affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz will send warships in conjunction with the US to keep the strait “open and safe”, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump urged China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump claimed that the US has destroyed “100 per cent of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are”.
He also pushed back against reports claiming that five US refuelling aircraft were struck and rendered unusable in an attack at an airport in Saudi Arabia, calling it “fake news”.
“Four of the five had virtually no damage and are already back in service,” he stated.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, following the launch of joint attacks by Israel and the US against Iran on February 28, which have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hostilities have since escalated.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
