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Trump says US would escort ships in Strait of Hormuz 'if needed' -Fox News interview

AL-Monitor
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump walks as he heads to Marine One to travel to Ohio and Kentucky, from the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
U.S. President Donald Trump walks as he heads to Marine One to travel to Ohio and Kentucky, from the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder — Brian Snyder

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said the United States would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed, adding in a Fox News interview that aired on Friday that the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard over the next week."

Asked about helping oil tankers pass through the key shipping strait, Trump said: "We would do it if we needed to. But, you know, hopefully things are going to go very well. We're going to see what happens." He gave no other details.

"We're going to be hitting them very hard over the next week," he added in the interview with Fox's Brian Kilmeade that aired in part on its "Fox & Friends" program.

His comments come as the United States and other countries face spiking oil and gas prices with the U.S-Israel war entering its 14th day, with oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel on Friday.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Toby Chopra)