Trump says US will have Strait of Hormuz 'open fairly soon'

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told reporters ​on Friday that the US will have the Strait of Hormuz "open ‌fairly soon" but did not elaborate and acknowledged that it will not be an easy step.

Trump also suggested that other countries were offering help, ​but did not identify any nation. "Other countries use the ​strait. So we do have other countries coming up, ⁠and they'll help out," Trump said. "It won't be easy ... I ​would say this - we will have that open fairly soon," he ​added.

The blockade of the Strait by Tehran since the start of the Iran war has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history. The strait ​is a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and ​liquefied natural gas shipments.

Trump has been upset at NATO allies' failure to help ‌secure ⁠the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on Thursday that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, after meeting Trump, told European governments that the US president wants concrete commitments to help secure the strait within ​days.

The US and ​Israel attacked Iran ⁠on February 28. Iran retaliated with its own strikes on Israel and US bases in Gulf ​states. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks ​on ⁠Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.

The war has raised oil prices and shaken global markets. Trump announced a fragile ceasefire with Tehran on ⁠Tuesday, after ​having previously threatened to destroy Iran's ​entire civilisation. Ship traffic through the strait has remained stalled.