Trump’s ‘absurdly incoherent’ Iran pleas leave allies befuddled

 

Trump’s ‘absurdly incoherent’ Iran pleas leave allies befuddled

 

European countries have ruled out helping secure the Strait of Hormuz until the conflict is over — but also haven’t received any specific requests for assistance from the U.S.

 

March 25, 2026 12:07 pm CET

By Victor Jack, Chris Lunday and Esther Webber

https://www.politico.eu/article/donlad-trump-strait-of-hormuz-allies-befuddled/

 

BRUSSELS — Donald Trump’s messaging on what he wants from American allies in his war against Iran is so confusing that any effort to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains deadlocked, according to four European government officials.

 

Washington has not made any formal requests for equipment, said the officials, who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive talks, while allies are also reluctant to send military assets to the region over fears they would be attacked by Iran.

 

More than 30 nations, including a majority of NATO countries, have pledged “appropriate efforts” to restart shipping through the critical trade chokepoint after the U.S. president slammed allies as “COWARDS” for failing to volunteer their assistance.

 

But so far, discussions remain in their very early stages, according to government officials from seven European countries.

 

“One would wish for more predictability, more clarity and more strategic foresight — not only in this case,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told POLITICO on Tuesday, adding: “Let’s wait and see.”

 

The slow-moving talks reflect Trump’s conflicting messaging more than three weeks into his war against Iran — where he has threatened allies for failing to back his campaign, then said they weren’t needed, all while providing scant detail on how they could support the U.S.

 

The lack of enthusiasm about getting involved also underscores Europe’s growing self-confidence in dealing with Washington, as the continent increasingly shifts its approach from placating Trump to confronting him over a war allies were not consulted on.

 

“This war violates international law,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday. “There is little doubt that, in any case, the justification of an imminent attack on the U.S. does not hold water.”

 

For some capitals, the latest demand also reveals a stark double standard: U.S. officials have repeatedly browbeaten Europeans into concentrating on defending their own continent so that Washington can focus its attention elsewhere. Now, Trump is asking them to deploy to the Middle East.

 

“The big picture is: the U.S. has asked us to take care of and defend our own countries, take care of supporting Ukraine … and now [the] Middle East and global supply chains,” said one senior European government official, calling it “absurdly incoherent to put it mildly.”

 

A White House official did not comment on the demands on allies but told POLITICO: “President Trump and his national security team were well prepared for the Iranian regime’s attempts to close the Strait, and the U.S. military is zeroed in on systematically eliminating the terrorist Iranian regime’s ability to disrupt the free flow of energy.”

 

“President Trump is confident that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened very soon,” the official said.

 

Waiting game

In the absence of specific requests for help, allies have so far resorted to offering what they can: meetings, statements and encouragement.

 

The U.K. — which has so far led behind-the-scenes talks alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte — on Tuesday said it would host a security summit “in the near future” aimed at keeping the momentum on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

 

G7 foreign ministers will also discuss Iran when they meet near Paris on Friday, said a French diplomat briefed on the talks. Allies would seek to “coordinate … positions” with Washington, and debate “the reopening of the maritime routes” in the Gulf with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

 

Despite the lack of concrete support, allies’ joint statement appears to be pleasing Washington. “It’s common sense for President Trump to call on our NATO allies to step up and do more to help secure the Strait [of] Hormuz,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday. “Now we’re already starting to see them answer the President’s call.”

 

In practice, Europe could deploy destroyers to help Washington escort convoys through the strait, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow and naval military expert at the Royal United Services Institute, since the U.S. only has around 25 of the heavily-armed, missile-capable type of vessel available to immediately deploy worldwide.

 

Europe could also supply counter-mining capabilities, he argued, one area where the U.S. is  “quite constrained.” Germany, Estonia, France, Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the U.K. together operate roughly 40 counter-mine vessels, he said, compared to America’s four.

 

“There is a role for a wide array of navies to play in this,” said one British defense official, adding the U.K. had begun examining possible options such as sending a Royal Navy ship or commercial vessel accompanied by autonomous systems to destroy mines as part of a multinational coalition in the strait — but only once the conflict subsides.

 

“What is clear,” they added, “is that there has to be some, if not a complete end … in the rate and scale in combat operations in the region before we could imagine to secure the strait.”

 

And until the U.S. ceases hostilities in the region and explains what it needs — and why — its European partners are unlikely to do much more.

 

Allies “do not agree with being called into a war that we haven’t started, with no idea [of what the U.S.] is going to do,” said one NATO diplomat. For now, “I’m proud of our ‘no.’”

 

Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting from Paris.