Hey there from CNN. I'm David Rind with the five things you need to know for Monday, March 16th.

Will anyone help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz? That's the basic question coming out of the weekend, where we saw President Donald Trump call on multiple countries, including China, to assist tankers across the key waterway near Iran. I know countries have yet committed to sending warships to the waterway, but White House

Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says they stand by the request.

The president is absolutely right to call on these countries to do more, to help the United

States to reopen the Strait of Hermuz so that we can stop this terrorist regime from

restricting the free flow of energy. And the fact that they are doing so just underscores why President Trump needed to take this action in the first place. China, of course, is a major U.S. adversary and a strategic partner of Iran, so it's unlikely they would help out. The White House says Trump's upcoming trip to Beijing could be delayed because of the war.

Oil prices are continuing to soar, and as a result, gas prices in the U.S. are sitting at $3.72

a gallon. It's the highest average since October 7, 2023. However, there are signs Iran is

letting some tankers from countries not involved in the conflict across the street. According to Pakistani sources and chip tracking data, at least three Pakistani oil tankers

have crossed in the past 10 days.

Coming up, why the Trump administration is mad at the media over war coverage.

Stick around.

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