STORY: President Donald Trump said on Sunday (March 15) his administration is talking to seven countries about helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, calling on them to help protect ships in the vital waterway that Tehran has mostly blocked to oil tanker traffic.

With the conflict creating turmoil across the Middle East and shaking up global energy markets in its third week, Trump insisted that nations relying heavily on oil from the Gulf have a responsibility to protect the strait.

"I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way from Florida to Washington. "It’s the place from which they get their energy."

Though he declined to identify the seven governments that his administration has contacted, Trump said this weekend that he expected many countries would send warships to allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world's oil.

He said in a social media post he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: IN AIR (MARCH 15, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WALKING TOWARDS JOURNALISTS ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"We are talking with other countries about working with us with the policing of the Strait. And I think we are getting good responses. If we do it that's great and if we don't that's great also."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"China as an example, gets about 90% of its oil from the Hormuz Strait and it would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we'll help more, militarily we've, as far as I'm concerned we've defeated Iran."

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory. Because it's the place from which they get their energy. And they should come and they should have helped us protect. You could make the case that maybe we shouldn't even be there at all, because we don't need it, we have a lot of oil. We are the number one producer anywhere in the world. Times two, we doubled it, I think, I think it's much higher than that. But we do it, it's almost like we do it for habit, but we are also doing for some very good allies that we have."

8. WHITE FLASH

9. TRUMP WALKING AWAY

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (MARCH 15, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA) (NIGHT SHOTS)

10. AIR FORCE ONE LANDING

11. AIR FORCE ONE TAXIING ON TARMAC

12. VARIOUS OF TRUMP WALKING DOWN AIR STAIRS

13. TRUMP SALUTING AIDE AND WAVING AT MEDIA / TRUMP WALKING TOWARDS MARINE ONE

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (MARCH 15, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA) (NIGHT SHOTS)

14. MARINE ONE LANDING AT WHITE HOUSE LAWN

15. TRUMP INSIDE MARINE ONE

16. TRUMP DISEMBARKING MARINE ONE

17. TRUMP WAVING AT MEDIA / TRUMP WALKING INTO WHITE HOUSE

18. TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE AIDE, NATALIE HARP, WALKING ACROSS LAWN

19. PEOPLE WALKING DOWN WHITE HOUSE WEST WING, PAST PRESIDENTIAL WALK OF FAME

20. WHITE HOUSE WEST WING