US-Iran War — 2026-03-31

Trump Tells Fuel-Starved Allies to Go Get Your Own Oil from Hormuz

President Trump told countries struggling with fuel shortages to go to the Strait of Hormuz and just take it, refusing to commit US naval assets to escort allied tankers through the contested waterway. Trump separately urged allies to buy fuel from the United States, saying we have plenty. The remarks came as US gasoline prices topped $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022, and as Gulf states issued a unified call for de-escalation and ceasefire.

Analysis
Trump's remarks represent a break from the implicit post-1979 bargain in which the US guaranteed freedom of navigation through Hormuz for all. Telling allies to just take it could be read as either an invitation to form independent naval escorts or a provocation designed to force allied participation in the war effort. Either interpretation deepens the transatlantic rift visible in the basing denials by Italy, Spain, and France.

3 sources

Trump urges countries seeking oil to go to Strait of Hormuz and just take it - South China Morning Post
Trump to other nations: Go get your own oil from Strait of Hormuz - The Hill
Trump blasts UK and France over Iran war, tells fuel-strapped nations to just take Hormuz oil - TRT World