Trump said his administration had contacted seven countries asking for support to allow shipping through the vital waterway Japan and Australia said they have no plans to send ships to help secure the strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that Iran has mostly blocked to oil tanker traffic, as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on allies to provide support. The effective closure of the strait of Hormuz by Tehran, in retaliation for airstrikes by the US and Israel, has proved catastrophic for global energy and trade flows, causing the largest oil supply disruption in history and soaring global oil prices. Continue reading...