{"id":2835,"date":"2026-03-18T16:30:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:30:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:30:52","slug":"trump-ditches-appeal-for-help-in-iran-war-slamming-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2835","title":{"rendered":"Trump Ditches Appeal for Help in Iran War, Slamming Allies"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Bloomberg) —<\/span>\u00a0US President Donald Trump abandoned his effort to recruit partners for the war with Iran and scolded allies who openly rejected his appeals, even as he repeated claims the conflict would end soon.<\/p>\n

The US and Israel nonetheless kept up their attacks with little clarity on when operations would end, with Israel saying it had killed Iran\u2019s security chief, Ali Larijani, in an overnight operation. Trump threatened to expand strikes on Kharg Island, Iran\u2019s main export hub, while Gulf countries continued to face attacks from Iran-sent drones.<\/p>\n

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WATCH: Trump abandoned his effort to recruit partners for the war with Iran. Joumanna Bercetche breaks down the situation.Source: Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Larijani\u2019s death marks one of the most high-profile killings of an Iranian official since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. Iranian state media confirmed the death of Larijani, a key pillar of the country\u2019s wartime leadership, though didn\u2019t give any details about the circumstances.<\/p>\n

Yet as the conflict continued, there was little sign that European and Asian nations planned to heed Trump\u2019s call to join the fray, even in more limited roles confined to attempting to end the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The near shutdown of the key shipping lane has wreaked havoc on global energy markets and kept oil hovering around $100 a barrel.<\/p>\n

Germany, France, Canada, Greece and Norway are among those that have explicitly ruled out participating in the US-Israeli operations. Their refusals have exposed the consequences of Trump\u2019s cavalier approach toward the US\u2019s longstanding alliances. Trump also called out Japan, Australia and South Korea in a social media post earlier Tuesday that stated the US didn\u2019t need the help of anyone.<\/p>\n

The US president on Tuesday scolded NATO allies in particular, denouncing their \u201cfoolish mistake\u201d not to get involved. \u201cI\u2019ve long said I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us,\u201d Trump said at the White House. \u201cThis was a great test because we don\u2019t need them, but they should have been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump also sought to drive home his stated reasons for starting the war, citing the need to disarm a potent nuclear threat and claiming, without providing evidence, that Iran was just two weeks away from acquiring a weapon that they would have used \u201cvery gladly.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also sent more mixed signals about when the US would wind down major military operations, saying \u201cwe\u2019re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n

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WATCH: \u201cWe don\u2019t need help,\u201d President Donald Trump says when asked at the White House about allies assisting in the Strait of Hormuz.Source: Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tehran maintained retaliatory fire around the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates among nations reporting they had intercepted drones and missiles overnight.<\/p>\n

Iran set a massive natural gas field in the UAE ablaze Monday as it stepped up attacks on key energy sites, the first time the Islamic Republic has damaged an oil or gas upstream facility in the neighboring country during the war.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Iran has moved to secure an effective veto power over which ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, with some ships transiting the chokepoint by tracking close to the Iranian coast. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran\u2019s parliament, said in a social media post that the strait \u201cwon\u2019t return to its pre-war status.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran has attacked about 20 vessels in the Persian Gulf and near Hormuz since the conflict began. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait have all reduced oil output as a result of the blockage. Qatar, a top three supplier of liquefied natural gas, has shut down production of the fuel.<\/p>\n

A trickle of vessels are still using Hormuz, most of them bound for countries such as China and India. The prices of LNG, fertilizers, aluminum and other commodities have increased sharply since the start of the war.<\/p>\n

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WATCH: Iran stepped up attacks on energy infrastructure around the Persian Gulf and set a massive gas field ablaze. Bloomberg\u2019s Joumanna Bercetche reports from Dubai.Source: Bloomberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked on Tuesday when cargo ships would be able to pass through the vital waterway again, Trump said \u201cit won\u2019t be, I don\u2019t believe, too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet even as Trump projected confidence, the conflict continues to snarl other priorities on his agenda.<\/p>\n

Trump said Tuesday that an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping would instead take place in five or six weeks because he wants to stay in Washington to focus on the war. China is among the countries Trump has appealed to, so far unsuccessfully, for naval support.<\/p>\n

That decision came amid growing opposition to the war at home, including among some of his own supporters. Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official, announced he is resigning in protest of the war, arguing that Israel had dragged the US into the conflict.<\/p>\n

Asked about the resignation, Trump on Tuesday countered that Iran indeed had been a threat. He said Kent was \u201ca nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security.\u201d<\/p>\n

US gasoline prices have soared in recent weeks, rising to around $3.79 according to the American Automobile Association, piling pressure on the administration ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC on Tuesday that the US\u2019s expectation is still for a \u201cfour-to-six week operation,\u201d while acknowledging that a longer war could \u201churt consumers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump this week had stepped up his appeals for help \u2014 from both allies and China \u2014 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

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No government has publicly said it will send warships to escort commercial vessels through Hormuz, though the UAE suggested it was willing to help play a role alongside other countries in securing the strait. Many military analysts have said that, without a ceasefire, it would be dangerous to send ships through the strait even with armed escorts.<\/p>\n

Japan, whose prime minister is set to visit the White House on Thursday, has said it is exploring the legal implications of the US effort while also indicating that the US hadn\u2019t made a specific demand to send ships to the Middle East.<\/p>\n

In parallel with the war in Iran, Israel has stepped up an offensive in Lebanon, where it\u2019s fighting the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Trump on Monday said that \u201cHezbollah\u2019s a big problem, and they\u2019re rapidly being eliminated,\u201d confirming that he\u2019d discussed the situation in Lebanon with Israeli leaders.<\/p>\n

The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to the escalating conflict and noted Tuesday that targeting countries in the Gulf runs against recently passed Security Council resolutions. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, said \u201cdiplomacy must prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 4,000 people have been killed across the Middle East in the war so far, according to tolls from governments and non-governmental organizations. The US has lost 13 military personnel.<\/p>\n

–With assistance from Laura Davison, John Bowker, Magdalena Del Valle, Mia Gindis, Courtney Subramanian, Justin Sink, Meghashyam Mali, Romy Varghese and Rocio Fabbro.<\/p>\n

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    \u00a92026 Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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