United States President Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that he expects her country to "step up" in securing the Strait of Hormuz amid the US- and Israeli-led war against Iran. During a news conference in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump, when pressed about why the US did not warn allies like Japan in advance about attack plans, quipped about Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" Trump asked Takaichi, who appeared visibly uncomfortable, adding, "You believe in surprise, I think, much more so than us."
Takaichi condemned "Iran's actions such as attacking the neighbouring region and also the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz," but hinted at broader concerns about the war, pointing to the "severe security environment" and anticipated economic effects. "The global economy is about to experience a huge hit because of this development," she said, while expressing belief in Trump's ability to achieve peace. Trump, in turn, claimed Iran is "close to demolished" but that the US is being "very judicious" in handling the strait, which remains a choke point for global oil trade.
Japan's pacifist constitution, imposed by the US after World War II, renounces war and the threat or use of force, limiting its capacity for military assistance. Despite this, Trump praised Takaichi and signaled that Japan is "really stepping up to the plate," unlike NATO. He emphasized that securing the strait is the responsibility of other countries, particularly those like Japan that rely more heavily on oil and gas shipments through it, arguing that the US "doesn't need anything" but expects allies to contribute.
Trump's statements on the strait have been contradictory: in various appearances, he has claimed it is safe for passage and that the US could retake it alone. "We don't need much. We don't need anything," he said on Thursday, yet over the weekend he reportedly sought assistance from other nations, stating it "would be nice to have other countries police" the strait as "it is their territory." Trump also noted that Asian nations will be hardest hit by surging energy prices and reaffirmed that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further strikes on Iranian energy facilities.
An Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field on Wednesday prompted retaliatory Iranian strikes against Qatar's Ras Laffan facility, which accounts for about 20% of global LNG supply. When asked about deploying US troops to secure the strait, Trump responded that he has no plans to do so but would not disclose such plans to the press if they existed. This meeting underscores the escalating tensions and economic risks fueled by the war efforts of the US regime and its allies, highlighting the fragile state of global energy markets.
Source: www.aljazeera.com