Donald Trump's push to assemble an international naval coalition at the Strait of Hormuz has run into its first and most public obstacle — two of his closest Pacific allies. Japan and Australia both confirmed on Monday they had no plans to send warships to escort commercial shipping through the strait, as Brent crude climbed as much as 3 per cent on Sunday to top $106 (approximately £82) a barrel before easing to around $104.63 (approximately £81), with markets seeing no end in sight to the effective closure of the waterway.
The refusals came just hours after Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday declaring the situation was already moving in his favour. 'Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,' he wrote. He specifically named Japan among those he expected to act, and followed up with a second post stating: 'The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!'
