IRAN WAR LATEST: Trump demands allies help to reopen Strait of Hormuz
· Toronto Sun
The war in the Middle East is now well into its third week, where Israeli strikes have deepened Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis, killing more than 850 people killed and displacing over 850,000 more.
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U.S. President Donald Trump is reaching out to about seven countries, including China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain, demanding they send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as Iranian strikes continue to pummel Gulf countries on Monday.
Dubai International Airport was literally on fire after a drone struck a fuel tank at the world’s busiest airport, although it was quickly contained, no injuries were reported, and operations gradually restarted, according to authorities.
Despite having no evidence, Tehran accused the United States of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates to launch strikes on Kharg Island, which houses the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports evidence.
That comes as oil prices soared with Brent Crude trading near $105 per barrel on Monday.
Here’s the latest from the war on Monday:
Americans protecting Strait of Hormuz at all costs
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Centra Command, says American forces are zeroing in on Iran’s threats to freighters carrying oil and natural gas through a vital chokepoint in the Persian Gulf.
“We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz,” the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East Admiral said in a video posted to X on Monday.
Shipping traffic has pretty much come to a halt in the waterway due to Iranian strikes on commercial vessels.
As a result, the price of oil has seen a dramatic increase, as Washington feels the pressure to do something, anything, to ease the pain for consumers.
Israel launches ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon
Israel conducted fresh strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold which is usually home to hundreds of thousands of people.
The Israeli military also said it was sending additional ground troops into Lebanon for what it called a “limited and targeted operation.”
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the latest deployment is meant to defend Israeli border communities against attacks from the Hezbollah militant group.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz closed only to select few
Iran’s top diplomat says the key Strait of Hormuz is only cut off for vessels of the U.S., Israel and their allies.
“From our perspective it is open,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said of the strait. “It is only closed to our enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Proof? A Pakistani-controller tanker, which was carrying crude oil from Abu Dhabi, managed to pass the strait and is now sailing in the Gulf of Oman, according to data from vessel tracker MarineTraffic.
Meanwhile, India’s shipping ministry said that an Indian-flagged vessel carrying liquefied petroleum gas is expected to arrive at a port later in the day with more than 40,000 metric tons of fuel, while a second ship is scheduled to dock on Tuesday.
The first vessel reportedly sailed from Qatar’s Ras Laffan anchorage, according to local media, after both vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
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Trump’s trip to China could be delayed
The American president’s upcoming trip to China may be delayed due to the conflict, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denied Monday that it’s some sort of tactic to force Beijing’s hand regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and get the powerful nation to help reopen the waterway.
“If the meeting for some reason was rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics,” Bessent clarified. “The president wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war and travelling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.”
The possible delay comes after a Chinese government spokesperson had no comment on Trump’s Strait of Hormuz request for military support from several countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Countries on the fence on aiding Trump
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but “will not be drawn into the wider war.”
Starmer indicated the U.K. is unlikely to dispatch a warship, despite Trump’s demands that U.S. allies help open the key oil shipment route in that regard.
Rather, the PM said Britain is seeking “a viable collective plan” and is in discussions with the U.S. and other European and Gulf allies on the possibility of using the U.K.’s mine-hunting drones.
Britain is sending 5 million pounds ($9 million) to humanitarian organizations in Lebanon, with the funds intended to help provide food, water and shelter for some of the more than 850,000 people displaced by Israel’s offensive against the militant group Hezbollah.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels on Monday that Italy backs reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea, but added that he doesn’t “think these missions can be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz, especially since they are anti-piracy and defensive missions.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that it will be important for the U.S. and Israel to define “when they consider the military aims of their deployment to have been reached.”
The minister noted he told his U.S. and Israeli counterparts that “more clarity” is needed, and once there is, it will be time for a phase when “a security architecture for this whole region” is defined — which will entail speaking to Iran.
Australia said outright that it would not be sending a warship to the Middle East to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
“We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” Transport Minister Catherine King said Monday, which comes following the government’s statement that Australia was “not taking offensive action against Iran.”
The latest victims
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Qantara killed four people, including two children.
Two Palestinian women, including a pregnant 17-year-old, and a six-year-old boy were killed Monday when a wall collapsed in the Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said.
A Palestinian civilian was killed in a missile attack in Abu Dhabi, authorities said.
Newest attacks
Bahrain’s Defense Ministry said air defense systems have responded to attacks Monday morning after it says four missiles and three drones were fired.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted three drones over the capital Riyadh and the nation’s oil-rich western region.
A fire broke out following a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in Fujairah, one of the United Arab Emirates’ seven emirates, authorities said. No casualties were reported.
The United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry said forces were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, following an earlier attack by a drone that hit a fuel tank at the Dubai International Airport, where flights have slowly resumed.
– With files from The Associated Press