Trump calls for five-nation naval presence to secure Strait of Hormuz
Former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday that five countries should send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to keep the waterway open and secure. In his posts, he named South Korea, China, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom as examples of nations that would participate, particularly those affected if Iran tries to block the strait.
Trump asserted that although Iran’s military capability had been “100% destroyed,” the regime could still attempt to disrupt traffic in the Hormuz Strait by sending a drone, laying mines, or launching short-range missiles. He framed the issue as a direct threat to global energy and security interests.
![Summary
The "Battle Copper Prints" are a series of prints from copper engravings dating from the second half of the 18th century. They were commissioned by the Qianlong emperor of the Qing dynasty (1644--1911), who ruled from 1735 to 1796. They depict his military campaigns in China's inner provinces and along the country's frontiers. The master illustrations for the engravings were large paintings done by European missionary artists employed at that time at the court in Beijing. These artists were Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione (1688--1766), French Jesuit Jean-Denis Attiret (1702--68), Bohemian Jesuit Ignatius Sichelbarth (1708--80), and the Italian Augustinian missionary, Jean-Damascène Sallusti (d. 1781). The engravings of the first set of 16 paintings were not produced in China but were executed in Paris, at that time home to the best European artisans working in this technique. The emperor even decreed that the work emulate the style of the Augsburg copper engraver Georg Philipp Rugendas the Elder (1666--1742), whose work he knew. Small-scale copies of the paintings by Castiglione and his Beijing colleagues were sent to Paris to be transferred on to copperplates, printed, and then sent back to China, along with the plates and prints. Later sets of engravings were executed in Peking by Chinese apprentices of the Jesuits and differ markedly in style and elaborateness from those of the Paris series. Qianlong's battle copper prints were just one of the means the Manchu emperor employed to document his campaigns of military expansion and suppression of regional unrest. They served to glorify his rule and to exert ideological control over Chinese historiography. In the history of Chinese art, copper-print engraving remained an episode. Seen in their political context, the Qianlong prints represent a distinct and exceptional pictorial genre and are telling examples of the self-dramatization of imperial state power. The East Asia Department of the Berlin State Library holds a set of five series with a total of 64 prints. This is one of 12 prints depicting the campaign against Taiwan of 1787--88, in which Chinese troops led by General Fukang'an defeated an armed insurrection in Taiwan against the Qing government.
Created / Published
Beijing, China : The Chinese Imperial Court, [1787 to 1788]
Subject Headings
- China--Taiwan
- 1787 to 1788
- Battles
- Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
Notes
- Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
- Original resource extent: 49.7 centimeters high and 86.6 centimeters wide; copper plate prints.
- Original resource at: Berlin State Library - Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
- Content in Chinese.
- Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.](https://journalkor.site/content/images/2026/03/01_1787_Crossing_the_Taiwan_Strait_and_returning_in_triumph-1.jpg)
He wrote that he hoped China, France, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and other affected countries would send ships to ensure the strait is no longer threatened by what he called an artificial constraint. He suggested a multilateral naval presence would remove any leadership that might enable a blockade.
The Hormuz Strait is a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and a vital conduit for global oil shipments. While no single country controls it, the United States maintains a significant naval presence in the region through the 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, to safeguard free passage and deter aggression.
For U.S. readers, the exchange matters because any expansion of a multinational naval effort in or near the Middle East could affect energy markets, supply chains, and defense planning. A broader coalition could influence Iran’s behavior and regional security dynamics, with implications for American allies and partners.
South Korea, China, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom each have distinct interests in Middle East stability and in the protection of energy imports. South Korea relies on Middle Eastern oil and gas, while Japan is a major energy importer; both are closely watching regional security and alliance commitments. France and the United Kingdom are NATO members with long histories of naval capability and involvement in international maritime security operations.
At this point, Trump’s calls were posted on social media and do not represent confirmed government plans or commitments from the five countries. Analysts will watch for any official statements or changes in security posture that could indicate a real effort to expand multilateral naval patrols in the Hormuz region.