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President Donald Trump warned Sunday that NATO\u2019s future could be at risk if the alliance does not help the United States secure the Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The comment came as Trump said that he had started reaching out to other countries for help keeping the strait safe from Iranian attacks. Iran has vowed to keep the strait, through which roughly 20% of the world\u2019s oil passes, closed while the war continues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,\u201d Trump <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> the Financial Times. \u201cIf there\u2019s no response or if it\u2019s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump echoed those sentiments while flying back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are talking to other countries about working with us on the policing of the strait and I think we\u2019re getting a good response. If we do, that\u2019s great. And if we don\u2019t, that\u2019s great, too,\u201d Trump told<\/a> reporters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He added that he would like to see NATO step in because of the funding the United States has provided for Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always there for NATO. We\u2019re helping them win Ukraine,\u201d Trump said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t affect us, but we\u2019ve helped them. It\u2019ll be interesting to see what country wouldn\u2019t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the straight open.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump said asking NATO to step in was \u201csmall\u201d by comparison because Iran \u201chas very little firepower left.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cReally I\u2019m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory. It\u2019s the place from which they get their energy and they should come and they should help us protect it,\u201d Trump said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> Monday the bloc was \u201cdiscussing\u201d what it could do regarding the strait because it was in Europe\u2019s interest to keep it open.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Iran again vowed Monday to keep the strait closed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Strait of Hormuz will not be open to any country intending to harm Iran,\u201d Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. \u201cThe armed forces are controlling the transit, and no country will be able to use the Strait of Hormuz to strike against Iran.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump also said he would like to see China get involved and take a role in securing the strait. He noted that China gets roughly 90% of its oil through the strait. Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Global benchmark Brent crude oil rose above $100 per barrel on Monday morning, climbing as high as $106.27. Gas prices across the United States have also risen, with the national average<\/a> increasing to $3.71 per gallon from $2.92 a month ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n