NEW YORK, March 13. /TASS/. The United States can provide military escort to commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, if necessary, President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News channel.

"We would do it if we needed to. But hopefully things are going to go very well. We are going to see what happens," the TV channel quoted him as saying.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, hitting major Iranian cities, including Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated with sweeping attacks on Israel. Targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were also hit.

On March 2, Major General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ebrahim Jabari warned that the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil exports pass, will be closed to ships because of the military operation of Israel and the United States against the Islamic republic. On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait was not closed, but ships and tankers did not cross it for fear of attacks from both sides.