Trump: "We will remember who joins the Hormuz escort coalition"

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "remember" whether countries take part, as he urged seven nations to join a coalition to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and prepare for a potential attack on Iran.

Trump made the remarks aboard Air Force One as he returned from Florida, where his residence is located, to Washington, D.C., on the 15th local time, the 16th day of the war against Iran.

The seven countries Trump referred to are two more than the five nations he had asked the previous day on social media platform Truth Social—South Korea, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and France—to dispatch warships.

Asked which countries had said they would participate, he replied, "I can't say. Some have responded positively, and some are reluctant to get involved," adding, "Whether I get support or not, I can say this: I told them this as well—we will remember"—pressing them to join.

On the possibility of China participating, one of the five countries he had asked to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "I can't say. It's too early. They might, or they might not."

Still, he noted that China imports 90% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, calling its decision "an interesting case to study." Asked whether he was ready to declare victory in the war against Iran, Trump said, "No. I won't do that. There's no reason to. I just say they've been decimated," adding, "Even if we withdrew right now, it would take more than 10 years to rebuild, but I still won't declare victory."

He also said, "I really demand that these countries step up and protect their territory. It's actually their territory. That's where they get their energy," stressing that operations in Hormuz would "begin immediately" once the coalition force is formed.

Trump added, "You could say we may not even need to be there (in Hormuz). We have a lot of oil."

Trump also said the United States is in talks with Iran, but that Iran is not ready to negotiate.

"We are talking with them," he said, "but I don't think they are ready," adding, "They desperately want to negotiate," and "I think (Iran) will be ready (to negotiate) at some point, but right now we are doing very well with respect to the overall situation."

By Seulgi Lee, Hankyung.com reporter seulkee@hankyung.com