Originally published at Judgenap.com and reprinted with permission
Members of the North Atlantic Alliance have refused any role in closing the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced a complete blockade of the crucial waterway, and that other countries would be assisting the American Navy.
After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran placed restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran limited shipping to vessels from “friendly nations” that paid a toll. Tehran says that Iran will continue to control the Strait after the end of the conflict.
For the first six weeks of the conflict, Iran was able to continue to export its oil, and Washington suspended oil sanctions against Tehran to keep energy prices from spiking.
On Sunday, Trump changed course and ordered a total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that began on Monday morning. When he announced the closure of the Strait, he wrote on Truth Social, “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.”
However, America’s closest allies have now ruled out involvement. Reuters reported on Monday that several NATO members have stated they will not take part in Trump’s Middle East war. “We’re not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations would be willing to take a role in securing the Strait once the conflict ends.
NATO’s refusal to send military assets to the Middle East to support the war against Iran has angered President Trump. Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte traveled to the US in an effort to improve relations with the alliance’s most important member.
Before the meeting with Rutter, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying, “They were tested, and they failed. It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense.”
