White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that President Donald Trump is pushing U.S. allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as Iran’s actions threaten one of the world’s most critical shipping routes.

Speaking on “FOX & Friends,” Leavitt said Trump has been speaking with European allies and partners in the Gulf and Arab world in recent days.

“The president is speaking with our allies in Europe and also many of our partners in the Gulf and Arab world to encourage them to step up, to do more to open the Strait of Hormuz,” she said. “And our NATO allies especially need to step up.”

Leavitt later told reporters outside the White House that many countries in Europe and the Gulf are benefiting from U.S. military action against Iran.

“If you think about Europe, their ballistic missile capability that the United States military is currently wiping out was a direct and imminent threat to our European allies as well as our bases in the region,” she said.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes — has been severely disrupted by Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.

Leavitt said Iran’s actions highlight why international cooperation is needed.

“I think the president is absolutely right to call on these countries to do more to help the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that we can stop this terrorist regime from restricting the free flow of energy,” she said.

She added that Trump has also urged allies to increase their involvement in protecting the route.

“He said that he wished the U.K. had stepped up sooner and quicker,” Leavitt said. “But he continues to speak with our allies in Europe and is calling on them to do more.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)