Donald Trump said the UK and other countries which did not take part in strikes against Iran should secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves.
The US president said countries which “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” should “build up some delayed courage, go to the strait and just take it”.
In the latest sign that his Middle East campaign has severely damaged long-standing relationships, Trump suggested its allies will “have to start learning how to fight for yourself”.
Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!
The UK was the only country named in a post by Trump on his Truth Social platform.
The president’s comments came less than an hour before Buckingham Palace announced Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will make a state visit to the US in late April, giving an indication of the diplomatic tensions Charles will have to navigate.
Trump wrote: “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.
“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.
“Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
Trump’s comments came after reports in the Wall Street Journal that he would be willing to end the US military campaign even if Iran maintains its stranglehold over the strait, a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.
Iran’s selective blockade of the maritime chokepoint and its attacks on the Gulf states have pushed up global energy prices.
In the latest sign of the risk to shipping in the region a Kuwaiti oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Dubai.
Keir Starmer will chair a meeting of the Cobra crisis committee to consider the impact on households and the wider economy from soaring energy costs.
Average energy bills are forecast to rise by almost £300 from July while motorists are already counting the cost of the war, with drivers paying £544 million extra for fuel since the US-Israeli bombing campaign began.
The price most households pay for energy under regulator Ofgem’s cap will fall by £117-a-year to £1,641 from Wednesday, driven by the UK government’s promise to cut bills by an average of £150 by removing green subsidies.
But respected energy analyst Cornwall Insight said its prediction for the watchdog’s price cap from July to September now stands at £1,929 for a typical dual fuel household – an increase of £288 or 18% on April’s cap.
UK energy consumers minister Martin McCluskey said: “Tackling the affordability crisis is our number one priority and I know many families will be thinking about how events in the Middle East might impact the cost of living at home.
“We will continue to fight people’s corner through this crisis and, as the Energy Secretary (Ed Miliband) has said, if it’s necessary to intervene, we will.”
