Trump says U.S. will escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz if necessary

NEW YORK, March 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible," Trump said in a post on social media.

Trump said he has ordered the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide so-called political risk insurance and guarantees for maritime trade, especially energy, "traveling through the Gulf."

Nestled between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz serves as the only sea passage from the Gulf to the open ocean, cementing its status as one of the world's most strategically vital chokepoints.

Iranian media reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, declaring the vital oil and gas waterway unsafe due to U.S. and Israeli attacks.

On Saturday morning, U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with some of the leader's family members, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.