Is Trump out on his own over the Hormuz crisis?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 17 March 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
The war in the Middle East has now entered its third week and shows no sign of ending any time soon. Oil prices have soared and transatlantic relations between the US and its allies are strained. So what are President Trump's options now? And will the Europeans support him in policing the strategically important Strait of Hormuz?
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Guest: George Grylls, Washington Correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producers: Olivia Case and Harry Stott.
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Read more: Starmer resists Trump’s call to send warships to Strait of Hormuz
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From the Times and the Sunday Times, this is the story. I'm Manvina. |
| 0:10.1 | It's week three of the Iran War, and it's not just the Middle East that's suffering. |
| 0:15.6 | The conflict with Iran is pushing oil prices past $100 a barrel, as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to the United |
| 0:23.1 | States and its allies. |
| 0:24.4 | The ongoing conflict is sharpening economic worries here in the U.S. |
| 0:28.3 | Some households using heating oil are to get 53 million pounds in immediate support from the UK |
| 0:34.6 | government. |
| 0:35.8 | The world is staring down the barrel of an oil crisis. |
| 0:40.0 | And for Donald Trump, who just a week ago declared that he didn't need any help from America's |
| 0:45.1 | once great allies, now that he'd already won the war, there's been a change of heart. |
| 0:50.4 | We are talking to other countries about working with us, for the policing of the |
| 0:56.6 | strain. |
| 0:58.3 | And I think we're getting a good response. |
| 1:00.7 | Donald Trump is demanding help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to get oil supplies moving |
| 1:07.1 | again. |
| 1:08.1 | But so far, it's met with a mixed response. Spain, Japan and Australia have ruled |
| 1:14.7 | themselves out, refusing to get involved. In the UK, Kier Starmer, who's been patting himself on the |
| 1:21.8 | back for dodging a disastrous war, is now having to weigh his options in the face of soaring fuel prices. |
| 1:29.3 | We have to reopen the straight-off home moves to ensure stability in the market. |
| 1:35.3 | That is not a simple task. |
| 1:38.3 | So we're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan. |
| 1:48.0 | The safest way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz |
... |
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