President Trump’s call for some countries not involved in the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran to send ships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz has so far received cautious responses.
Mr. Trump named China, Britain, France, Japan and South Korea in a social media post on Saturday, urging them to join an effort to guard the waterway, a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil.
Here is how these nations have responded so far:
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Britain: The British government was already looking at “any options” to help restart shipping in the region and was in talks with allies, Ed Miliband, the energy minister, said on Sunday, without disclosing details. “It is very important that we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened,” he told the BBC in an interview, but he reiterated Britain’s position that the “best and simplest way” for that to happen was to de-escalate the fighting.
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Japan: Japan’s pacifist constitution limits military engagement in wars and a senior Japanese official warned that any decision to deploy warships would face “high hurdles.” Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told the Japanese public broadcaster NHK on Sunday that the country would have to be cautious. The issue may come up when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Mr. Trump meet in Washington on Thursday.
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South Korea: The office of President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea said in a statement that it would “communicate closely with the United States,” but did not make any commitments.
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China: China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, has not publicly responded to Mr. Trump’s remarks but has previously called for the cessation of hostilities.
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France: France has also not responded publicly. President Emmanuel Macron has said that his government would be willing to use its navy to escort ships but only if the conflict stabilized. Last week, Mr. Macron wrote on social media that he had spoken with President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran and told him that Tehran needed to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and reopen it to shipping.
Ravi Mattu is the managing editor of DealBook, based in London. He joined The New York Times in 2022 from the Financial Times, where he held a number of senior roles in Hong Kong and London.
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