Rebuffed by allies, Trump now says U.S. doesn't need help defending the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump dropped his push for U.S. allies to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian threats — an about-face that came just one day after he called upon nations to “get involved” so oil tankers can safely navigate the crucial shipping lane.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump dropped his push Tuesday for U.S. allies to join in protecting the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian threats — an about-face that came just one day after he called upon nations to “get involved” so oil tankers can safely navigate the crucial shipping lane.

First on social media and later in an Oval Office meeting, Trump said the outside military support he has been working to muster is no longer necessary in the war, which the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran on Feb. 28.

“We don’t need any help, actually,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office as he hosted Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin.

“President Trump has great relationships with foreign leaders around the world. At the same time, he has long called attention to the disproportional dynamics that have been enabled by weak Presidents for decades — including the United States’ extensive financial support of NATO and unfair trading practices that hurt our farmers and workers,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The President was resoundingly elected to put America First, and he will continue to bolster US national security through Operation Epic Fury, with or without NATO.”

Trump had gotten a chilly response from U.S. allies he’d tried to enlist in a joint effort to police the strait, which has been effectively shut down in the face of Iranian attacks that have jeopardized oil supplies.