Overview
- After days of appeals, the UK, France and Germany ruled out joining U.S. operations now, with Macron saying France might help escorts once bombing subsides.
- Trump said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel were “on the way” to assist but provided no details, and no country has publicly committed ships.
- Pressed on repercussions, Trump said he has nothing currently planned regarding NATO yet suggested he could consider leaving without congressional approval, the AP reported.
- Hormuz remains severely disrupted by Iranian mines, drones and missiles, constricting a route that carries about one-fifth of global oil and lifting prices to around $100 crude and $3.79 U.S. gasoline.
- A State Department cable asked foreign governments to designate Iran’s IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist groups in a bid to increase pressure on Tehran.