The President of the United States, Donald Trump, assured that he feels vindicated after years of questioning the loyalty of the United States' Western alliances. “I always said that when we really needed them, they wouldn't be there,” the president categorically described.
On Monday, Trump said he is encouraging countries whose economies depend on the free flow of global trade to take an active role in maritime security. The president argued that the US military has already destroyed practically all of Iran's conventional military capacity and that now the Strait of Hormuz - through which a large part of the world's annual oil production circulates - requires an international patrol
effort.The Republican magnate also emphasized the importance of allies providing minesweeping vessels to keep the Strait open. During the Cold War, that was one of the main naval capabilities of the British Royal Navy and one of its key contributions to the NATO alliance. Until recently, London maintained a small squad of minesweepers in Bahrain, a deployment
