President Donald Trump's recent appeal to Asian allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the war against Iran, bluntly brought to focus their outsized reliance: "Countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz must take care of that passage — China, Japan, South Korea should come and aid us."
Days later, after most allies rebuffed his plea for joint naval patrols, Trump decisively flipped the script: "The US needs no one's help." This pivot left room for interpretation on military action but firmly signaled America's relative indifference to the strait choke — bolstered no doubt by its energy independence and minimal exposure.
