US Says Defending Hormuz Is Not America’s Responsibility Alone, Urges Allies to Contribute Militarily

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says protecting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should not remain an American burden alone. He called for military assets from allies outside the Middle East to join the effort quickly.

In a Fox News interview on the 6th, Wright said many countries had contacted the United States because they wanted to cooperate and help. The military assets currently involved belong to US allies and partners in the region, he said, but he hoped assets from outside the region would arrive soon.

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Many other countries have contacted us. They want to cooperate with us and they want to help.

Wright also told CNN that US military support remains essential to the safety of ships currently passing through the strait. Asked whether commercial vessels could safely transit, he said he believed they could if they worked with the US Navy. Asked whether the Navy’s role had become a long-term “new normal,” Wright replied, “Today, it is,” while saying he expected other countries to join the effort.

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Today, it is.

“World trade is important, and this should not be America’s responsibility alone,” Wright said. He did not identify South Korea specifically or say what military assets or form of support Washington wanted, even as the South Korean government considers expanding its military contribution in Hormuz.

Wright also suggested that the Trump administration is placing less emphasis than before on reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. In an ABC interview, he said, “There may be no nuclear deal,” and that the conflict could end with the destruction of Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons. He said a deal might have to wait until Iran’s next administration. Asked whether the United States could continue attacking if Iran rebuilt its nuclear facilities, Wright responded, “We have to destroy their capability.”

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World trade is important, and this should not be America’s responsibility alone.

He rejected criticism from private analysts who said the US government had exaggerated the amount of oil passing through Hormuz. Wright claimed that the seven-day average of maritime oil shipments recently exceeded 9 million barrels per day. Including oil sent through bypass pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, he put the total at 13 million to 14 million barrels per day.

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There may be no nuclear deal.