President Donald Trump is demanding other countries step in to help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes. On Monday, Trump kept up the pressure, urging other nations to join Washington in policing the narrow waterway off Iran’s coast.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump warned that NATO’s future could be at stake if allies refuse to take part.
“It will be very bad for the future of NATO if they don’t,” he said.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump insisted that the countries he’s calling on have every reason to get involved.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” he said.
And if they don’t?
“Whether we get support or not, I can say this — and I said it to them: we will remember.”
So far, though, the response from abroad has been cautious at best — and in many cases a flat no.
The issue for Washington is Iran’s ability to threaten oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway through which about 20% of global oil trade normally flows. Even limited disruptions there can ripple across global energy markets.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain is discussing ways with partners to reopen the strait, but not as a NATO operation.
Germany was even more blunt: “As long as this war continues, there will be no involvement, not even as an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means,” said Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
He added that the U.S. and Israel launched the war without consulting European partners.
“I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war,” Kornelius said.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius struck a similar tone: “It’s not our war. We didn’t start it. We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end.”
Spain and Italy also declined to send ships. “Italy is not at war with anyone,” said Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. “Sending military ships into a war zone would mean entering the war.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz are already disrupting international trade and regional stability. Beijing, he said, is talking with different parties to help bring the conflict down.
In Britain, public opinion is also pushing back. Polls show most Britons oppose the war. The government says it has allowed the U.S. to use British bases only for what it calls “limited defensive action.”
South Korea’s government said it needs “adequate time for deliberation” before responding to Trump’s request. Japan, on the other hand, faces legal constraints as its constitution tightly limits overseas military deployments.
“We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Parliament.
Australia said it hasn’t even been asked to join a naval coalition, and ruled out sending ships for now.
