The Daily Populous Monday March 16th, 2026 day edition
Authored by abcnews.com and submitted by imanchats

As the war in Iran enters its third week, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One Sunday night that he is talking to countries about policing the Strait of Hormuz, saying he is looking at “about seven,” but declined to give specifics on which countries they may be.

Trump also said that the Strait of Hormuz is “something that we don't need,” arguing that other countries should step in and assist because it affects them more than the U.S.

“I really am demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory. It's the place from which they get their energy, and they should come and they should help us protect it,” the president said.

Trump also suggested the U.S. not assist at all.

“You could make the case that maybe we shouldn't be there at all because we don't need it. We have a lot of oil people with the number one producer anywhere in the world,” he said.

-ABC News' Meghan Mistry and Emily Chang

MrTourette on March 16th, 2026 at 07:22 UTC »

I mean it makes perfect sense for Iran to do this, it does untold economic damage to US and Israeli allies, putting pressure on them to fuck off and leave Iran alone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s awful and negatively impacts countless innocent people, but for a cost vs effective attack ratio, that’s hard to beat.

runesplease on March 16th, 2026 at 03:27 UTC »

Crazy how cheap drones can cause such devastating impact

Toogomeer on March 16th, 2026 at 02:45 UTC »

I wonder what’s the estimate for money that’s been lost not to structural damage in UAE and the region, but to canceling flights and tourism in general. It can’t be pretty for businesses.