European nations have firmly rejected Donald Trump’s demand that NATO allies send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, despite the US president’s warning that failure to act would lead to a “very bad future” for the alliance. The strait, which carries approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, has been effectively closed by Iran since hostilities escalated. European leaders instead emphasized the need for diplomatic engagement rather than direct military involvement.
Germany was among the most direct in its refusal, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz stating plainly that military participation was off the table. Merz acknowledged that the Iranian regime needed to face consequences but argued that aerial bombardment was unlikely to be the right solution based on historical precedent. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added sharp criticism of Trump’s expectations, questioning what a small fleet of European frigates could accomplish that the powerful US Navy could not manage independently.
The United Kingdom took a more cautious stance, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying Britain would not be drawn into a wider war but was working toward a viable plan. Starmer stressed that reopening the strait was essential for global energy market stability but acknowledged it was not a simple task. He indicated any action taken would require the broadest possible coalition of partners before proceeding.
Italy, France, Australia, and Japan all confirmed they had no intention of dispatching naval vessels to the region. The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while ministers expressed a desire to strengthen Operation Aspides in the Red Sea, there was no enthusiasm for extending its mandate to cover the Hormuz situation. EU foreign ministers meeting on the same day declined to expand the mission’s scope, reflecting a broadly shared reluctance across member states.
The conflict continued to intensify on the ground, with Israel launching wide-scale strikes on Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz, while Iran fired missiles intercepted over central Israel. The US reported approximately 200 troops wounded and 13 killed since the conflict began on February 28. Human rights organizations estimated that at least 1,825 people had been killed in Iran, with the majority being civilians, underscoring the devastating human cost of the ongoing war.