SRINAGAR: European leaders have pushed back against a demand by United States President Donald Trump to join a naval coalition aimed at securing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as the expanding war between the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies across the Middle East, global media reported.
The call from Washington comes as the conflict, which began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, continues to destabilise global energy markets and widen militarily across Iran, Lebanon and parts of the Gulf region.
According to reporting by Al Jazeera, European governments meeting in Brussels on Monday signalled little willingness to participate in military operations in the Gulf, instead urging clarity from Washington about the objectives of the war.
Europe questions US strategy
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin would not join combat operations related to the conflict.
“We need more clarity here,” Wadephul told reporters before the European Union meeting in Brussels. “We expect from the US and Israel to inform us, to include us into what they’re doing there and to tell us if these goals are achieved.”
He said European countries wanted first to understand the strategic direction of the conflict before discussing any future security framework for the region.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was even more explicit, saying Germany would not participate militarily in the confrontation.
“This is not our war. We have not started it,” Pistorius said in Berlin. “What does … Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US Navy cannot do?”
The office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also clarified that the conflict does not fall within the mandate of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said the alliance is designed for territorial defence and that “the mandate to deploy NATO is lacking.”
Britain also rules out the NATO mission
The position was echoed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who made clear that London would not support a NATO deployment in the waterway.
“Let me be clear: that won’t be, and it’s never been envisioned to be, a NATO mission,” Starmer said in London.
He added that the United Kingdom would “not be drawn into the wider war”, although discussions were underway with the United States and Gulf allies about using British mine-hunting drones already stationed in the region to assist maritime security.
Other European governments expressed similar reservations. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Athens would not participate in military operations in the strait, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome had no naval mission planned for the area.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten also warned that launching a successful operation in the short term would be “very difficult”.
Some Eastern European allies, however, said they were open to considering a request through NATO channels. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said European governments needed to understand Washington’s “strategic goals”.
“What will be the plan?” he asked.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said any proposal should come formally through NATO procedures, possibly under Article 4 consultations, which can be invoked when member states believe their security is threatened.
Trump criticises allies’ reluctance
President Trump, speaking at the White House, criticised allies who have hesitated to commit ships to secure the vital waterway.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,” Trump said. “Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years.”
“The level of enthusiasm matters to me,” he added, suggesting that Washington would remember which partners supported the effort.
Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would soon announce the names of countries willing to participate in the proposed naval coalition.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most strategically important maritime routes in global energy supply.
Oil markets rattled as strait disrupted
The conflict has already disrupted shipping traffic through the narrow passage between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Iranian attacks on vessels and the threat of further strikes have reduced tanker movement dramatically, fuelling fears of a global energy shock.
According to reporting by the Associated Press, Brent crude prices remained above $100 a barrel on Monday — roughly 40 per cent higher than before the conflict began.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the waterway was technically still open, but not for the United States, Israel or their allies.
“From our perspective, it is open,” Araghchi said, adding that Tehran was seeking neither “truce nor talks.”
War expands across the region
The wider conflict has rapidly escalated across multiple fronts.
Israeli strikes have hit targets in Tehran and Lebanon, while Iran has launched drone and missile attacks against Israel, US bases and Gulf infrastructure. An Iranian drone strike near Dubai International Airport briefly forced the closure of the major global travel hub earlier on Monday.
Massive explosions were also reported in Beirut as Israel targeted infrastructure linked to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanese authorities say more than one million people have been displaced as Israeli operations expand across southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital.
Humanitarian and military toll grows
According to figures cited by international agencies and officials, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, while Israeli missile strikes have killed at least 12 people in Israel.
The US military has also confirmed casualties. According to the US Central Command, around 200 American troops have been wounded since the start of the war, with 13 US service members killed.
The growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has also alarmed Western governments. In a joint statement, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain warned that a large-scale Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon could have “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
EU reluctant to expand naval operations
At the Brussels meeting, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was “no appetite” among member states to extend the EU’s existing maritime mission, Operation Aspides, into the Strait of Hormuz.
“Nobody wants to go actively in this war,” she said after the discussions.
Analysts say the hesitation reflects growing frustration among European governments, which believe they were excluded from the strategic planning behind the US-Israeli campaign.
Reporting from Brussels, Al Jazeera said European leaders feel increasing pressure from Washington but remain wary of joining the conflict.
“There is very little appetite for joining the war, especially because they feel left out of the loop,” Vaessen said. “They will be discussing a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean sending warships.”
As the war continues to expand, the standoff between Washington and its European allies over how to respond to the crisis underscores widening divisions within the Western alliance, even as global energy markets and regional stability hang in the balance.
