In a sharp rebuff to Washington, major European nations have refused to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring Donald Trump’s warnings that failure to act would damage NATO’s future. The strait has remained effectively closed since Iran moved to block it following the beginning of hostilities, creating a significant disruption to global energy flows. European leaders argued that without a clear strategy and shared political objectives, military deployment would be premature and potentially counterproductive.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz made the most decisive statement, categorically excluding any German military participation in efforts to reopen the strait. His defense minister raised pointed questions about the logic of the American request, asking why European nations should deploy limited naval assets to accomplish something that the dominant US Navy apparently could not. Their comments reflected a broader frustration within Europe over being pressured to join a conflict that had been initiated without European consultation.
Keir Starmer of the UK walked a fine line, expressing willingness to work on a plan while declining to commit troops or ships. He acknowledged the global significance of the strait and promised that any British action would be agreed upon by the widest possible coalition. Trump expressed displeasure with London’s position but hinted he believed Britain would eventually engage.
Italy’s foreign affairs minister stated that diplomacy had to be the primary instrument, while Greece ruled out engaging in any military operations related to the strait. The EU’s foreign ministers collectively decided not to expand the mandate of Operation Aspides, its naval mission in the Red Sea. Australia, France, and Japan rounded out the group of nations declining to commit naval forces, leaving Trump’s coalition-building effort without significant European backing.
The conflict raged on as Israel conducted sweeping new strikes on major Iranian cities, targeting what it described as infrastructure used by senior officials. Iran launched missiles toward Israel, which were intercepted, while a drone attack near Dubai disrupted flights and caused fuel fires. In the Gulf, operations at the UAE oil port of Fujairah were suspended after a separate drone strike. US casualties in the conflict climbed to 13 dead and over 200 wounded, while human rights groups reported that the death toll inside Iran had surpassed 1,800.