WASHINGTON, March 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has "demanded" several 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.

A day earlier on Saturday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that "many countries," especially those that are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the strait, "will be sending War Ships" to secure the oil trade route.

While his call was forceful, even urgent, the response has so far been muted. Can a Hormuz naval coalition sought by the United States take shape?

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is the sole maritime outlet to the open ocean. At its narrowest, it is barely 39 km wide.

For the region's oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the strait is indispensable, carrying the bulk of their crude exports. It is also a crucial artery for liquefied natural gas, not least from Qatar, one of the world's largest suppliers. Roughly 20 million barrels of oil pass through it each day, about a fifth of global consumption.

However, only 77 vessels have transited the strait since March, data from Lloyd's List Intelligence showed, a drop of about 90 percent year on year. Many ships are avoiding the region due to high security risks in the region.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East and strictly controlling access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told U.S. media that the strait remained open for international shipping except for vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and their allies.

"The Strait of Hormuz is open. It is only closed to the tankers and ships belonging to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass," Araghchi said.

WHY A COALITION?

The ongoing war has lasted more than two weeks, severely disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-conflict levels, forcing Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to cut production by several million barrels in just over a week.

The International Energy Agency said that Gulf countries have curtailed at least 10 million barrels a day of oil production, about 10 percent of global demand, with refinery output of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel also declining.

The blockade has also triggered a chain reaction of soaring shipping costs and adjustments to global supply chains. Analysts warn that if passage through the strait remains paralyzed, the world's logistics system could face its most severe disruption since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increased transport costs driven by the conflict in Iran will be passed on to consumers, said Vincent Clerc, chief executive of Maersk, a major shipping company.

Although the U.S. imports limited oil from this region, a closure or an attack on ships would impact the global energy market, increase maritime insurance costs, and threaten to disrupt imports of critical commodities like pharmaceuticals, as noted in a CNBC article.

Trump said the U.S. military had struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran and targeted key infrastructure, while claiming U.S. forces had neutralized Iranian mine-laying capabilities in the strait.

Yet the military campaign continues and is set to further escalate tensions.

Trump has publicly noted on 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, urging allies and countries dependent on Gulf oil to help.

However, several U.S. allies have rebuffed or shown reluctance to provide military assistance, with Japan, Australia and various European countries saying they have no plans to send ships.

WHY THE HESITATION?

Trump on Monday complained that U.S. allies are reluctant to answer his call for a multinational mission to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, with no country so far stepping forward to send warships.

"We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me," Trump said at a press conference.

Trump said some countries hosting large numbers of U.S. troops had declined to provide assistance when Washington asked whether they could contribute minesweeping vessels for a potential escort mission.

Multiple European nations and the European Union on Monday voiced reluctance or outright opposition to Trump's call. Stressing the need for diplomatic solutions and warning against further regional escalation, European leaders underscored that the current conflict should not evolve into a NATO mission or draw the continent into a broader war.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out any military involvement in protecting oil tankers in the strait, emphasizing that NATO is a "defense alliance" rather than an "intervention alliance."

His remarks were echoed in Brussels by EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas. After a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas stated the bloc has no appetite for expanding its existing naval mission Aspides in the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are working on the diplomatic solutions for the Strait of Hormuz," she said, adding, "This is not Europe's war."

Meanwhile, Australia is well-prepared for the "economic crisis" caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and would not be sending a warship to the region, said Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King.

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, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Japan is not currently planning to deploy Self-Defense Force ships to escort vessels in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday.

In a recent post on X, Araghchi said the United States' much-touted "security umbrella" in the region has "proven to be full of holes" and has invited instability rather than preventing it.

Washington was now asking other countries to help ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

Analysts believe that even if the United States succeeds in forming a maritime escort coalition, implementing such escort operations would be extremely difficult.

"This is a possibility, but it's harder than you think," U.S. Senator of Connecticut Chris Murphy said on X. "First, it would require our entire navy. 100 tankers need escorting each day. Second, if we can't destroy the mines and drones, our ships are at risk too." ■