American allies resist Trump’s call for NATO’s role in reopening Strait of Hormuz
•Germany, EU, UK cautious on military involvement Several allies of United States (U.S.) said yesterday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing
•Germany, EU, UK cautious on military involvement
Several allies of United States (U.S.) said yesterday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open.
Trump had called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that normally transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
Germany, Spain and Italy were among allies that ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, at least for now.
Other countries were more circumspect, with Britain and Denmark saying they would consider ways they might help, but emphasising a need to de-escalate and avoid getting dragged into the war.
Japan, Australia and several other European countries also signalled reluctance to deploy naval forces.
Trump said his administration has already contacted seven countries, but declined to identify them.
In an earlier social media post, he said that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.
Japan does not currently plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday.
Advertisement
300x250
“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Takaichi told parliament.
Takaichi will travel to Washington this week for talks with Trump that she said will cover the conflict with Iran.
Australia will not send naval ships to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a government minister said yesterday.
“We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC.
“We will communicate closely with the U.S. regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review,” South Korea’s presidential office said on Sunday.
Under South Korea’s constitution, overseas troop deployments require parliamentary approval, and opposition figures have said any dispatch of warships to the Strait would need consent from the legislature.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not be “drawn into the wider Iran war” whilst reiterating he was working with allies to reopen the Strait.
“We are working with others to come up with a credible plan for the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that we can reopen shipping and passage through the Strait. Let me be clear, that won’t be and it’s never been envisioned to be a NATO mission,” he told reporters.
EU foreign ministers discussed bolstering a small naval mission in the Middle East but they are not expected to discuss expanding its role to include the choked-off Strait, diplomats and officials say.
The EU’s Aspides mission - named after the Greek word for “shields” - was established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea.
Advertisement
300x250
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said yesterday that Germany would not participate with its military in securing the Strait.
“What does Trump expect from a handful of European frigates that the powerful US Navy cannot do? This is not our war, we have not started it,” Pistorius said.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in an interview with Germany’s ARD television on Sunday that he was “very sceptical” that extending Aspides to the Strait of Hormuz would provide greater security.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said yesterday ahead of the EU ministers’ meeting that it would be wise to keep an open mind to this question “as the small country that we are, but a large maritime nation”.
Even if Europe did not support the US-Israeli decision to go to war, “we must face the world as it is, not as we want it to be”, he told journalists.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said yesterday that diplomacy was the right way to solve the crisis in the Strait, adding there were no naval missions Italy was involved in that could be extended to the area.
But Greece, which leads the Aspides mission, will limit its participation in the Middle East to the Red Sea, said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.
Advertisement
300x250
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose reluctance to help the initial U.S. attacks drew sharp criticism from Trump, said Britain would work with allies on a collective plan to secure freedom of navigation through the strait.
Read Also: Mo Abudu unveils new cast for ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ film
But he said this would not be easy, and he reiterated that the UK would not be drawn into awider war. Britain has autonomous mine-hunting systems that could be used, Starmer said.
Denmark, traditionally one of the most enthusiastic NATO allies but which has clashed with Trump over his demands that it cede Greenland, said the EU should consider helping reopen the strait even if it didn’t agree 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,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said that were NATO to agree any mission in the Gulf itwould take time to draw up a framework.
“These are weighty decisions, and any action must be both feasible and impactful. At this moment, no decision is on the table,” Berendsen said yesterday in Brussels.
