WASHINGTON, May 5. /TASS/. The US operation in the Strait of Hormuz is a temporary mission and Washington expects other countries to take responsibility for ensuring safe navigation in the area "at the appropriate time," US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.

"This is a temporary mission for us. As I've said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We're stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up at the appropriate time, and soon we will hand responsibility," he told a briefing.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump earlier referred to NATO as a "paper tiger" and said that the United States did not need its help any longer.