WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Monday that he believes Iran wants to make a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Tehran but that it is unclear who is actually leading Iran.

"We don't know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are," Trump told reporters during a White House event.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday repeated his call to nations to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and appeared to criticize countries he said were not enthusiastic about providing aid.

Trump wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to ‌effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.

President Donald Trump criticized US allies on Monday for their lukewarm response to his call to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US war against Iran.

Trump called for more "enthusiasm" from other countries, as he said he believed France and Britain would somewhat reluctantly get involved.

"We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," Trump told reporters during an event at the White House.

"The level of enthusiasm matters to me."

Cheap and deadly, Iranian-designed Shahed drones have inflicted major damage in the Middle East war, and have anti-jamming and other capabilities that make them difficult to stop.

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Designed to explode on impact, Shahed drones connect to GPS to register their location shortly before or after takeoff, then typically turn off their receivers, said Thomas Withington, a researcher at Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

By David Lawder and Elizabeth Howcroft

PARIS, March 16 (Reuters) - Any potential delay to a planned summit this month between the U.S. and Chinese presidents would not stem from trade or shipping disputes with China but from the possibility that Donald Trump needs to remain in Washington because of the war with Iran, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.

By Ariba Shahid

KARACHI, March 16 (Reuters) - Ship-tracking data shows a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, indicating that some countries are able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels despite the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Since the war began more than two weeks ago, Iran has attacked several ships in the Gulf, in effect closing the strait, conduit for a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas, and driving up global energy prices. [O/R]

With assault rifles, daggers and posters of Iran's late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waving in the air as tens of thousands chant "death to America, death to Israel", there's little mistaking where the loyalties of Yemen's Houthis lie.

But will the battle-hardened militia backed by the Islamic republic join the war with the United States and Israel?

Since the Middle East war erupted, the Houthis have held regular demonstrations in their capital Sanaa, where supporters have come out in full force to rally behind their brothers in arms in Iran.

The surge of drone use in conflicts worldwide, seen most vividly in the Ukraine and Middle East wars, will accelerate the race to develop high-power laser systems that could down the devices far more cheaply than traditional defensive weapons.

It is a critical issue for governments threatened by low-cost, easily obtainable drones that can wreak outsize destruction, and are usually shot down only by the most advanced -- and expensive -- missile technologies.

March 16 (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to create a coalition to reopen the vital waterway.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier on Monday that Japan had made no decision about dispatching naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East. An official of Japan's Foreign Ministry said there was no request from Rubio in their call for Japan to send warships.

BERLIN/BRUSSELS/LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. allies said they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open.

Trump called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the strategic channel off its shores for tankers transporting a fifth of global oil supply.