Other countries must address shipping issue in Strait of Hormuz — Trump

WASHINGTON, April 2. /TASS/. The US does not rely on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz; the restoration of shipping through it should be handled by the countries that use it to transport oil, President Donald Trump stated. "The US imports almost no oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and won't be taking any in the future. We don't need it," the US leader said during a televised address to the nation. "And the countries of the world that do receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz must take care of that passage," he added. "They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily. We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on," the US leader emphasized. The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.