German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) the U.S. Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through a crucial Gulf shipping route, as he justified his war on Iran by saying he believed Tehran was about to strike first.
Mr. Trump has given often conflicting explanations for the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, while the President who once campaigned to end to America’s West Asian wars has set out no firm endgame.
The attacks and Iran’s fiery response have engulfed the West Asia — while also causing global economic turmoil as shipping avoids the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
Mr. Trump, whose own boasts of economic revival are now also under threat ahead of midterm elections later this year, moved to calm the jitters by saying U.S. warships could help.
“If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible,” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Insurance for commercial shipping
The U.S. president also ordered Washington to provide insurance for commercial shipping. U.S. stocks cut their losses after the announcement, although crude prices continued to rise.
With questions swirling about Mr. Trump’s justifications for his country’s biggest entanglement in West Asia for decades, the U.S. leader earlier denied Israel had forced him into launching the strikes.
Mr. Trump’s comments appeared to contradict Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on Monday that Washington only acted after learning that ally Israel was going to strike.
“I think they (Iran) were going to attack first. And I didn’t want that to happen,” Mr. Trump said as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Oval Office.
“So, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”
Trump on Iran strike
Fielding questions for the first time in public since launching the operation Saturday, Mr. Trump also said the U.S.-Israel strikes had largely destroyed Iran’s military.
“Just about everything’s been knocked out,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Iran’s navy, air force and radar systems had all been taken out of action.
Mr. Trump however offered no firm plan for Iran’s future leadership, saying that “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”
He said that the “worst case” was that a replacement for Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in strikes on Saturday, could be just as bad.
Published – March 04, 2026 06:01 am IST
