US allies have signalled they have no immediate plans to send warships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s appeal for military support to keep the vital waterway open after Iran effectively closed it in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.
The pushback came despite the fact that most NATO countries are typically wary of angering the White House, with many having faced sharp criticism from Trump in recent months. The strait carries a fifth of global oil supply, and Iran has used drones, missiles and mines to bring tanker traffic to a near standstill.
Germany led the dissent. “What does Donald Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US Navy cannot do?” Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin on Monday, dismissing Trump’s suggestions that failing to help could have consequences for NATO. “This is not our war, we have not started it,” he added. Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the conflict had nothing to do with NATO and noted that “neither the United States nor Israel consulted us before the war, and Washington explicitly stated at the outset of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired.”
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also ruled out sending military vessels. “Italy is not at war with anyone and sending military ships in a war zone would mean entering the war,” he told reporters in Milan. Spain said it would not take any action that could escalate the conflict.
Greece, which leads the EU’s Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea, said it would limit its participation in the Middle East to that theatre and would not extend operations to the Strait of Hormuz, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said.
Some allies struck a more cautious tone. Britain said it would work with partners on a collective plan to secure freedom of navigation through the strait, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer noting the UK had autonomous mine-hunting systems that could be deployed, while reiterating that London would not be drawn into a wider war. Denmark said the EU should explore ways to help reopen the strait even if it disagreed with the war. “Even if we don’t like what’s going on, I think it’s wise to keep an open mind on whether Europe in some way can contribute, but with a view towards de-escalation,” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said.
At EU level, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was in talks with the United Nations about replicating the deal that allows grain exports from Ukraine during its war with Russia, and was also discussing whether the Aspides mission’s mandate could be extended to cover the Strait of Hormuz.
China said it was in contact with all sides and was seeking to de-escalate the conflict, its foreign ministry said on Monday.
(Reuters)
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