Washington, United States

President Donald Trump said Sunday that NATO faces a "very bad" future if US allies fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport conduit effectively shut by Iran in the Mideast war.

In a brief interview with The Financial Times, Trump said that as the United States has aided Ukraine in the war with Russia, he expects Europe to help on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has sent energy prices soaring around the world.

"If there's no response or if it's a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO," said Trump, who over the years has criticized the alliance as freeloading on US largesse.

Trump also said an upcoming summit in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could be delayed as he presses for China's help to open the strait.

"We'd like to know before" the summit, Trump said, noting that China as well as many European countries rely more than the United States on oil flowing from the Gulf.

"It's only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there," Trump said.

Trump said separately to reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that the United States was in discussions with "about seven" countries on getting help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked about specific help he was looking for, Trump told the FT he wanted minesweepers as well as "people who are going to knock out some bad actors that are along the (Iranian) shore."

Uncertainty about how long the war against Iran might last has rattled oil markets, where crude prices have surged over the past two weeks due to the supply risks.

On Sunday, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate opened 2.5 percent higher at $100.22 a barrel, while the price of Brent, the international benchmark, rose 2.9 percent to $106.11 a barrel.

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