European nations have effectively called Donald Trump’s bluff over the Strait of Hormuz, refusing to send warships despite his repeated warnings that NATO’s future was at stake. The US president had escalated his rhetoric over several days, arguing that allies with a stake in the strait’s energy trade bore a responsibility to help reopen it. European governments responded by reaffirming their preference for diplomatic solutions and questioning whether military deployment made any sense in the absence of a clear shared strategy.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius delivered back-to-back rejections of the American request, with Merz ruling out military involvement and Pistorius openly questioning the logic of deploying European frigates where the US Navy had not succeeded. Merz addressed the broader political question of Iran’s future, expressing his desire to see the regime end while arguing that bombing campaigns had a poor historical track record for achieving lasting political change. Their combined position made Germany one of the most clearly and firmly opposed European nations.
Britain’s Keir Starmer tried to manage the situation without fully committing to any course of action, promising a plan developed through broad international consultation. He acknowledged the importance of the strait to global energy supply and did not rule out some form of British involvement, while making clear the UK would not be dragged into the wider conflict. Trump remained unhappy with London’s response but reportedly continued to believe Britain would play some role.
Italy, France, Greece, Japan, and Australia all declined to provide warships, and the EU’s foreign ministers declined to expand the mandate of Operation Aspides. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed that while member states wanted to strengthen the existing mission, they did not support altering its mandate. Estonia made the broader point that European allies needed to understand what Washington and Tel Aviv were actually trying to achieve.
Israel’s military campaign against Iran continued with new strikes on Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz. Drone attacks disrupted oil loading at the UAE port of Fujairah and caused fires near Dubai airport. Iran rejected ceasefire proposals and warned the US against committing ground forces. With US casualties at 13 dead and over 200 wounded, and rights groups documenting more than 1,800 deaths in Iran, the cost of the conflict was becoming increasingly difficult to minimize.