NEW YORK, March 15. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said a number of countries are ready to join an effort to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz.

"They’ve not only committed, but they think it’s a great idea," he told NBC News in an interview, without naming these countries.

According to the report, Trump said it was not clear whether Iran has dropped mines into the strait.

"We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded from getting the oil," he was quoted as saying.

When asked whether the US Navy would start escorting ships through the strait, he said that "it’s possible."

Trump announced on March 14 that many countries will be sending warships, jointly with the United States, to the Strait of Hormuz to keep one of the world's most important waterways open and safe. He urged Britain, China, South Korea, France, and Japan, among other countries, to do so.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.

On March 2, Major General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) 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 due to 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 were not crossing it for fear of attacks from both sides.