“When we are finished, take over your government,” Donald Trump told the Iranian people late February, announcing the war. “It will be yours to take.”
Weeks on, the US president is delivering a similar message to Europe, which is battling a fresh energy shock after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil ordinarily flows.
“Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” Trump said in a Wednesday night address. “They must grab it and cherish it. They could do it so easily. We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so depend on.”
As ever, Trump’s address was…