Ammon News - President Trump is working to assemble a coalition of countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and hopes to announce it later this week, four sources tell Axios.

Trump is also weighing a seizure of Iran's critical oil depot on Kharg Island — a move that would require U.S. boots on the ground — if tankers remain bottled up in the Persian Gulf, U.S. officials say.

Oil and gas prices are rising as Iran's blockade of the Gulf's narrow strait drags on, choking off a significant share of the world's crude supply.

Iran is blocking Gulf countries from exporting their oil while allowing tankers picking up Iranian crude to pass freely — keeping its own oil flowing to China and other countries.

As long as the blockade holds and Gulf oil is restricted, Trump could not end the war even if he wanted to, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump claimed the U.S. and several other countries will send warships to the Gulf to reopen commercial shipping, and called on China, France, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. to help.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he "demands" that NATO countries and other oil-importing nations — including China — help the U.S. secure the strait.

"We are talking to other countries about policing the straits. It will be nice to have other countries policing with us. We will help. We are getting a good response," Trump said.

Trump said the U.S. is in talks with seven countries and mentioned some had already declined, while stressing that the mission "will be small" because Iran has "very little firepower" left.

Behind the scenes: Trump and senior administration officials spent Saturday and Sunday on the phones working to assemble the multinational coalition, a U.S. official said.