Trump Isolated: Europe Refuses to Send Ships to Hormuz After Iran Offensive, Declares ‘This Is Not Our War’

The foreign ministers of the 27 European Union (EU) countries convened earlier this week in Brussels to discuss the Republican magnate’s request for regional countries to assist in securing this key maritime route, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transit, crucial for the exports of nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq.

This waterway, considered strategic for international hydrocarbon trade, has become the epicenter of military tensions.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been clear in its stance, stating that vessels from the U.S. and its allies may not cross this maritime route, raising alarms among oil-importing nations.

In light of this scenario, discussions included the possibility of extending the EU naval mission — Aspides — to allow European warships to patrol the strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

However, after hours of closed-door talks regarding the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, European representatives made it clear that they view this as an issue that the United States must resolve.

“Europe has no interest in an endless war,” stated Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, following the ministerial council meeting held in Brussels on Monday.

“This is not Europe’s war,” she emphasized.

She explained that while there was interest among ministers to “strengthen” the EU naval mission in the Middle East, there are no intentions to change or expand the mandate of the Aspides naval mission.

“There was no desire from member states to extend this mandate to cover the Strait of Hormuz (…). No one wants to actively engage in this war,” she asserted, effectively closing the door on sending warships to the strait.

“For the time being, there is no intention to modify the mandate of the operation,” she reiterated.

Trump’s Pressures on NATO

The U.S. president has ramped up his pressure on the transatlantic alliance to involve itself militarily in the Strait of Hormuz, after promising that the U.S. would escort vessels, although his administration later admitted it did not have the capacity to do so.

Trump told the Financial Times over the weekend that it would be “very bad for NATO’s future” if European countries did not respond to his call for help.

NATO Mission in Iran Unlikely

However, a NATO mission in Iran remains an unlikely scenario today, according to four alliance diplomats who spoke to POLITICO.

They suggested that there is little chance this action would receive the unanimous backing necessary from allies, as they consider it would add little compared to the faster bilateral support that allies could mobilize for the U.S.

“Europe Is Not Part of This War”

“Moreover, it is not directly within NATO’s area of responsibility,” they noted, aligning with statements from EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, who indicated that the Strait of Hormuz “falls outside NATO’s scope of action.”

“Europe is not part of this war. We did not start this war,” she asserted.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also rejected the idea of involving Berlin in the conflict, which erupted after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Tehran on February 28.

The bombings resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then Supreme Leader of Iran, and several senior military officials of the Islamic Republic. In the wake of this power vacuum, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the deceased supreme leader, was elected as his successor.

In retaliation for the military offensive, Tehran has launched numerous waves of ballistic missiles and drones against Israel and U.S. bases located in various Middle Eastern countries.

“NATO is a defensive, non-interventionist alliance. And that is precisely why NATO has no place here at all,” Merz stated.

“This is not our war,” the German chancellor made clear.

“The Americans chose this path, alongside the Israelis,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, adding that the main responsibility of European nations is to defend NATO territory.

“We did not start this war,” Pistorius emphasized.

Additionally, countries such as Australia, Canada, and Japan have ruled out involvement in the conflict instigated by Washington and Tel Aviv.

Trump’s Criticism of NATO

Trump acknowledged that NATO members informed the U.S. that they “do not wish to get involved” in the military operation in the Middle East, “despite nearly all countries strongly agreeing with our actions and believing that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.”

After this refusal, the right-wing leader stated that “we do not ‘need’ or desire the help of member countries (…). The same goes for Japan, Australia, and South Korea.”

“I have always considered it a one-sided relationship: we protect them, but they do nothing for us,” he remarked.

“As President of the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the world, I DO NOT NEED ANYONE’S HELP!” he declared in a message posted on the Truth Social platform.

Although Trump insists that NATO has never supported the United States, POLITICO recalled that the only time the Atlantic Alliance activated Article 5 for mutual defense was in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, in support of Washington.

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