Unmoved by Donald Trump’s warnings about the future of NATO, European nations have said no to deploying warships at the Strait of Hormuz and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Trump’s argument that alliance members who benefit from the strait’s energy trade were obligated to help defend it did not persuade European governments, which instead questioned both the wisdom and the necessity of military escalation in an already dangerous situation. The episode has added to a pattern of transatlantic friction that has been building since the conflict began.
Germany’s position was the most absolute, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruling out military involvement of any kind and arguing from historical precedent against relying on air power to deliver political outcomes. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius questioned the logic of the request, asking whether anyone seriously believed that a small European fleet could change a situation where the American Navy had already been deployed. Their combined position made Germany one of the most outspoken European opponents of Trump’s approach.
Keir Starmer’s response for the UK was measured and deliberately non-committal. He acknowledged the importance of the strait to global energy supply and promised a broad, multilaterally developed plan while making clear the UK would not be drawn into the wider war. Trump expressed displeasure with Britain’s stance but continued to indicate that London would likely find some form of contribution, suggesting the alliance remained intact even under strain.
Italy, Greece, France, Japan, and Australia all declined to send warships, and the EU chose not to expand Operation Aspides after a ministerial meeting that found little appetite for changing the mission’s mandate. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed the outcome. Estonia’s representative made the case for many European governments by calling on the US and Israel to articulate clear strategic goals before expecting allied support.
Fresh Israeli strikes on Iranian cities, Iran’s rejection of ceasefire talks, and drone attacks on UAE oil and air infrastructure kept the conflict at a high tempo. US military losses climbed to 13 dead and over 200 wounded, and rights groups placed the total death toll in Iran at more than 1,800 people, the majority of them civilians. Germany also criticized Israel’s expanding ground operations in Lebanon, calling them an error that risked deepening an already serious humanitarian crisis.