Days after US President Donald Trump asked Europe and other allies to send their warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe”, Europe has made it clear that it will not help him secure the narrow waterway, responsible for 20% of the world’s oil supply.
According to a Politico report, foreign ministers of the 27 European countries met in Brussels on Monday and discussed Trump’s appeal to Europe, asking them to help him secure Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since the conflict broke out.
Europe denies engaging in conflict
While one of the proposals at the closed-door talks was to expand the mandate of the European Union’s naval mission, Aspides, allowing European warships to patrol the strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the bloc’s foreign envoys later agreed that this was America’s problem to solve.
Kaja Kallas, a top diplomat for the bloc, on Monday (local time) said, “Europe has no interest in an open-ended war,” and added that even though this is not Europe’s war, its interests are directly at stake. She also said that even though there was a “clear wish” among leaders to strengthen the bloc’s naval mission in the Middle East, there was “no appetite in changing the mandate,” referring to sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz. Kallas noted that “nobody wants to go actively in this war.”
Americans chose this path, says Germany
Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that Americans chose this path, together with the Israelis. He added that the country’s main responsibility was to defend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory. Pistorius stressed that they did not start this war.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also dismissed the idea of involving Berlin in the conflict, which was sparked by the US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on 28 February that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader. Merz reiterated that NATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one, adding that it has no role in the situation. In an apparent rebuke to Trump’s complaints, Merz said, “I hope that we will treat one another with the necessary respect within the alliance.”
Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, went even further ahead with his rebuke, stressing that his country will not give in to “blackmail” from Washington.
Trump renews criticism of UK govt
According to a BBC report, Trump renewed his criticism of the UK government for its response to the conflict in Iran. This comes after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that it won’t be drawn into the “wider war.”
On Monday (local time), Trump said that he was “not happy” with the UK, adding that Britain should be involved enthusiastically to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s appeal to allies brings no promises
On 14 March, Washington asked its allies, such as France, Japan, China, Britain, and South Korea, to send their warships. According to a report in the Financial Times, Trump said that it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if countries in Europe did not respond to his call for help.
On Monday, Trump expressed confidence that France would support the US, adding that Emmanuel Macron could help.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the European Union has dismissed Trump’s plan. Earlier in January this year, Trump said that the US would invade Greenland, a move which invited sharp rebuke from the European Union and its member countries.
