NEW YORK, March 16. /TASS/. The United States is actively seeking from its NATO allies in the Arab world to step up their joint efforts on the Strait of Hormuz, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.

She said that US President Donald Trump is negotiating with Washington’s allies in Europe and partners in the Persian Gulf and the Arab world, pushing them to step up and do more to open the Strait of Hormuz. She added that it was NATO that needed to step up the most, according to Fox News.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, hitting major cities, including Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) 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, IRGC Major General Ebrahim Jabari warned that the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil exports pass, would be closed to ships due to the Israeli and US military operation against the Islamic republic. On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the strait is not closed, and ships and tankers do not cross it fearing attacks from both sides.