'We don't need oil': On Day 18 of war, Trump says he attacked Iran to...

US President Donald Trump on Monday (Mar 16) said that the US did not attack Iran for oil, adding that he wants a secure Strait of Hormuz because of other countries. Speaking at a press conference, the POTUS said that he wants to save other countries as they get their oil from the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after Trump reached out to allies and several other nations to help the US in securing the strategic passage.

“We don't need oil. We have all the oil we need for ourselves. Its one of the great asset that we have. We have doubled, more than double, what anybody else, in terms of oil production than any other country...so we don't need it. But, we did it because we have some good allies there...you can almost say we didn't, it happened. We have some great Middle Eastern countries there, Israel there, so we did it for a lot of reason but it always remains there that we did it. We never asked for reimbursement and we were really there to save other countries, not us.”

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Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that several major economies benefit from US actions because they rely on energy routes that pass through the passage. “China should be thanking us. Japan should be thanking us. South Korea as well. All these countries get 90 per cent of their energy through the Straits," Trump said while expressing disappointment with US allies, particularly members of NATO for not helping the country in securing the Hormuz. “Problem with NATO is we are always there for them, but they are never there for you," he added. An agitated Trump, holding a model of a Northrop Grumman B‑2 Spirit bomber, further added, the US doesn’t “need anybody” to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Before a meeting of the Kennedy Center board on Monday afternoon, Trump said “numerous countries have told me they’re on the way” to secure the strait, but declined to provide details, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would let everyone know.

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Trump's Strait of Hormuz request

Trump had asked several countries including China, Japan and South Korea to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, that is world's strategic chokepoint for oil and energy passage. Despite Trump’s demands, no country has publicly committed to sending naval vessels to help protect shipping through the strait. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced in the Parliament that she has not “made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching ​escort ships. We are continuing to examine...what can be done ⁠within the legal framework.” Australia's transport minister said that the country won't be sending a navy ship to the Strait of Hormuz. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters he did not see a role for NATO in the matter. The EU’s foreign minister Kaja Kallas said that “for the time being, there was no appetite in changing the mandate of the operation.” In a separate press conference on Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country will not be drawn into a “wider war." The US president told The Financial Times on Sunday that it would be "very bad for the future of NATO" if the allies refused to help.

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