Donald Trump’s aspirations to form a coalition to help protect ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz have received a lukewarm reception from the international community, with the US President turning to NATO partners and even urging China to join.
Trump on Sunday said that his administration was in contact with seven countries regarding assistance in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but declined to name them.
Separately, in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, the US President asserted that reopening the strait should be a joint effort by the beneficiaries of trade through the region, and warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) of dire consequences if no help arrived.
Threats to NATO, Chinese involvement
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump was quoted as saying by FT, with the US President arguing that Europe and China are heavily dependent on oil from the Gulf, unlike the US.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” Trump added, without delving into what the consequences would be.
On what help the US needed, Trump said “whatever it takes”, calling on allies to send minesweepers, of which Europe has many more than the US.
The US President also called for China’s involvement, telling FT, “I think China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits.”
Trump’s comments came after public appeals to the international community for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Over the weekend, Trump called on nations affected by the effective halt of maritime traffic through the waterway to help protect and restart trade, and even named several countries, including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK.
Trump also pledged “A LOT” of US support, only to get snubbed.
Muted response across the board
Australia and Japan on Monday ruled out sending naval vessels to the Persian Gulf to defend ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, while the response from other US allies, including the UK, has been muted.
“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on Monday, days ahead of her trip to Washington for talks with Trump.
Australia too ruled out sending ships to assist in the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz — “We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, told state broadcaster ABC.
South Korea, which requires parliamentary approval for overseas troop deployments, said it was reviewing the matter — “We will communicate closely with the US regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review,” South Korea’s presidential office said on Sunday, as per Reuters.
The UK, meanwhile, has yet to officially respond. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with Trump, Reuters reported, citing a Downing Street spokesperson.
China, too, has yet to respond to Trump’s appeals. Earlier, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in the US said that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” to de-escalate.
While France has not responded directly either, Reuters reported that the foreign ministers of European Union (EU) member states will on Monday discuss bolstering a small naval mission in the Middle East, established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by the Houthis. However, the mission is unlikely to be expanded in scope to include reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Germany, which was not named by Trump, has also ruled out participation: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No,” German foreign minister Johann Wadephul told ARD television.
