President Donald Trump has called on the UK to send naval power to the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to secure the critical sea passage.
Mr Trump took to Truth Social, writing that "many countries" will be sending ships to the critical shipping lane in the Middle East to keep it "open and safe".
However, he specifically called out the UK, China, France, Japan and South Korea, writing that he hopes that they "will send ships" to the Strait as they are "affected by this artificial constraint".
This comes after six ships were attacked in the Gulf in under 48 hours this week.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is determined to keep blocking the critical shipping lane.
President Trump said: "Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.
"We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.
"Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated."
The President took to social media on Saturday afternoon, calling out the UK to send ships to the Middle East
|REUTERS
The US President continued, describing that America had been "bombing the hell out of the shoreline" and consistently "shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water".
He concluded his post, published at 2pm GMT, writing: "One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said in response to President Trump's comments: "As we’ve said previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region."
This call to the UK to send ships to the Middle East comes as HMS Dragon, heading to Cyprus, loitered in the Channel for three days after finally leaving Portsmouth harbour.
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HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, only left UK waters yesterday
| GETTYThe Type 45 destroyer left UK waters on Friday, but has covered just 220 miles from Portsmouth to Land's End in three days, while preparations continued.
HMS Prince of Wales is the only aircraft carrier in a state of high readiness should the UK wish to deploy a vessel to the region.
Crew on HMS Prince of Wales were told a week ago they must be ready to leave Portsmouth harbour in five days.
The UK's other aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is undergoing prolonged repairs.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical cargo shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
It is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.
On February 28, Iran's Revolutionary Guard issued statements that ships passing through the strategic waterway were "not allowed".
This meant many cargo ships staying in port or turning back to avoid getting caught in the conflict.
On March 2, Iran officially confirmed the Strait was closed and any ship passing through would be attacked.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has received 20 reports of vessels located in and around the Strait being attacked or experiencing suspicious activity.
Consequently, the global price of oil has fluctuated this week due to strains on supply, with the cost of Brent crude oil peaking at almost $120 a barrel last weekend.