Trump's Hormuz Coalition Founders as Oil Markets Panic Over Iran War

Global Pushback on Hormuz Coalition

President Donald Trump's attempts to form a multinational naval coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have met with stiff international resistance. Trump warned NATO of a "very bad" future if allies refuse to help secure the vital waterway and threatened to delay a meeting with Xi Jinping to pressure China into participating, according to the diaspora outlet Iran International. However, key US allies including the UK, Australia, Japan, and France have all refused to send warships, as reported by the state-aligned Fars News. Germany explicitly ruled out joining the conflict, insisting that negotiations with Iran are the only solution. Hardline state media, such as Vatan-e-Emrooz, celebrated this as a humiliating global rejection, reporting that Trump has been reduced to begging for help while trapped in a war of attrition.

Oil Markets and the Kharg Island Threat

With the strait blocked for two weeks, Trump is reportedly considering deploying ground troops to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal, per Axios reports cited by Al Arabiya Farsi. The closure has triggered panic in global energy markets. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed deep alarm over soaring oil prices and the catastrophic impact of the ongoing US-Iran war, noted Akharin Khabar. Echoing a Reuters report that Iran, not the US, holds the keys to the global energy market, an Israeli economic analyst told Fars News that even a mountain of oil reserves will not save Trump from the Hormuz swamp. Domestically, US gas prices have spiked 23%, drawing sharp criticism from US Representative Frank Pallone over Trump's broken promises on inflation and peace.

AI Accusations and the Information War

Amidst the geopolitical deadlock, an intense information war is playing out. Trump aggressively dismissed Iranian reports of military successes, claiming the US and Israel have fundamentally destroyed Iran's navy, air defense, and air force. He stated that footage of burning US ships, kamikaze boats, and a recent 250,000-strong pro-government rally in Tehran were entirely fake and "produced by AI," according to Iran International. He specifically denied reports that the USS Abraham Lincoln or five US refueling planes were heavily damaged. Conversely, the IRGC-affiliated Sepah Pasdaran channel amplified assessments from former US military officials that Trump has made an unprecedented strategic mistake and lost control of the war.

Military Escalation and Domestic Repression

The military exchange continues following heavy US and Israeli strikes on western Tehran—which hit Mehrabad airport and fuel facilities—prompting Iran to retaliate with missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, reported RFI Farsi. Meanwhile, addressing the lack of public uprisings in Iran during the war, Trump called the Iranian leadership violent thugs and claimed they have shot and killed at least 32,000 unarmed protesters in recent weeks, according to a transcript shared by Vahid Online.