President Trump says US Navy could escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz, justifying war by claiming Iran was about to strike first.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. He justified the war on Iran by stating he believed Tehran was about to strike first.

“If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. The US president also ordered Washington to provide insurance for commercial shipping.

Trump denied Israel had forced him into launching the strikes, contradicting his Secretary of State. “I think they (Iran) were going to attack first. And I didn’t want that to happen,” Trump said during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“So, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand,” he added. Trump claimed the US-Israel strikes had largely destroyed Iran’s military capabilities.

“Just about everything’s been knocked out,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s navy, air force and radar systems were taken out. He offered no firm plan for Iran’s future leadership, saying “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

A senior US administration official claimed Iran had been stringing Washington along in nuclear talks. “They basically could have been days or weeks away from a weapon,” the official told reporters.

Trump said it was “too late” for Iran to seek talks now. US officials confirmed there had been no back-channel contact with Iran since Saturday’s strikes.

Germany’s Merz voiced support for the war but hoped it would end soon. He said the conflict was “damaging our economies.”

Trump had harsh words for European allies Britain and Spain. “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump also threatened to cut off trade with “terrible” Spain, whose government refused the use of its bases.

 The Sun Malaysia