WASHINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has "demanded" about seven countries heavily reliant on Middle East oil join a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil passes.
"I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to the strait.
Trump didn't name the countries the White House is negotiating with.
In an interview with The Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said that NATO members should send warships to help open up the Strait of Hormuz or face a "very bad" future.
"If there's no response or if it's a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO," he told the British newspaper.
A report in The Wall Street Journal earlier Sunday said the White House plans to announce a multinational coalition as early as this week, citing U.S. officials.
"Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships" to secure the oil trade route, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
Publicly, many governments have been reluctant to commit to such a mission before the end of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, given the risks involved, said The Wall Street Journal in its report.
In his first message as Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and pledged to open new fronts in his country's conflict with the United States and Israel.
The United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global shipping, sending oil prices soaring and shaking the global economy. Enditem
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