U.S. allies wary of joining Trump’s Strait of Hormuz mission

A South Korean protester wears a mask of US President Donald Trump during a protest against Trump's request to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz in front of the US embassy in Seoul on March 16, 2026. Photo by JUNG YEON-JE /AFP via Getty Images

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US allies deflected President Donald Trump’s demands to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, expressing unease about getting pulled into the war in Iran.

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In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers stressed that they did not want to escalate the war, treading cautiously about even redirecting an existing Red Sea naval mission to the vital passage for energy shipments. In Japan, officials said there were no plans to dispatch ships to escort stalled tankers. The UK similarly wouldn’t commit to a full naval mission.

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“Of course, everyone is concerned about the situation in the Straits of Hormuz and the wider effect of this war on energy prices,” said UK Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, speaking for the government on Monday. “But it’s also important to remember that we have not sought to be a protagonist in this war.”

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Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel was more blunt: “Blackmail is not what I wish for.”

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A cargo ship sails in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 15, 2026. Photo by Altaf Qadri /AP

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The responses amounted to a rebuttal of Trump, who on Sunday insisted that his allies in NATO and Asia help get oil and gas shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran. Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil moves through the narrow passage.

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The blockade has sent energy prices soaring, leaving governments worried about inflation, economic slowdowns and even food supply disruptions. But on Monday, officials were also cautious about aiding Trump’s operations, which have prompted Tehran to spray missiles and drones across the region.

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“We must not do anything that adds even more tension or escalation,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Brussels. “What we need is for the bombings and the missile launches against all countries in the Middle East to stop, and for us to return to the negotiating table.”

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Trump directly called out his North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in an interview with the Financial Times, warning that the military alliance would have a “very bad future” if its members don’t aid the US in Iran. The president’s renewed attacks on the transatlantic organization received a tepid response from European officials on Monday.

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A picture taken at sunset on March 12, 2026 shows a general view of the Bizkaia Bay Gas (BBG) regasification plant in the Spanish Basque city of Zierbena. The US-Israeli war on Iran has expanded across the Gulf and beyond, upending global energy markets and trade, and virtually halting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil travels. Photo by ANDER GILLENEA /AFP via Getty Images

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“I don’t see that NATO has decided anything in this direction or could be made responsible for the Strait of Hormuz,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking before an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

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Bettel cautioned that NATO is there to react when members are attacked, not for all defensive or military requests.

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“I want to remind that none of us has been directly attacked,” he said. “There are no grounds for now to invoke Article 5,” he added, referencing the alliance’s collective defense clause.

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Some were still willing to at least hear Trump out if he presents NATO with a plan.

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“We have to look into it and consider it,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told Bloomberg TV in an interview in Brussels. “I would look for the in-depth debate within NATO.”