EU countries are demanding to know more about US President Donald Trump's plans for a war in Iran and when the conflict there might end as they consider whether to agree to a request to send warships to help strengthen security in the Persian Gulf, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Trump has called on allies, including France, China, Japan, South Korea and Britain, to help ensure the safety of international shipping in the strait. He said the US is in talks with “about seven“ countries regarding military support to help open the trade route. He did not name the countries or give any indication of when such a coalition might be formed, the AP notes.
In an interview with the British newspaper “Financial Times“ Trump warned that if there is no response or a negative one, then the NATO countries are in for a very bad future.
As EU foreign ministers met to discuss Trump's request, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said it was important for the United States and Israel to determine “when they consider the military objectives of their operation to have been achieved“.
“We need more clarity,” he told reporters.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's spokesman – Stefan Cornelius – stressed that “this war has nothing to do with NATO and this is not a NATO war“. “NATO protects the territory of the alliance“, he said.
Cornelius said that Berlin had “taken note“ of Trump's comments, but added that “the US did not consult us before this war and therefore we believe that it is not NATO's business, nor the German government's“.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also said that US allies in Europe want to understand Trump's “strategic goals”. "What will the plan be?" he asked.
Sweden is not considering participating in securing the Strait of Hormuz, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristershon told the TT news agency.
He added that "the likelihood of Sweden influencing the situation in the region is not high," and the country's resources are currently mainly focused on helping Ukraine.
Their reactions were typical of the cautious reaction of many European countries to the US and Israel's war with Iran, even though many European allies have openly opposed the conflict. Trump described his request for help in the strait as "a very small effort," the AP notes.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski urged the Trump administration to go through the proper channels on the matter. "If a request is made through NATO, we will of course consider it very carefully out of respect and empathy for our American allies," Sikorski said. He referred to Article 4 of the NATO founding treaty, which member states can invoke if they believe their territory or security is under threat.
"It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that is why we are also discussing what we can do on the EU side on this issue," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers she will chair.
Kallas said the EU could expand its naval mission "Aspides" to protect shipping from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf. If the 27 EU member states fail to reach an agreement, those willing to do it themselves could form a “Coalition of the Willing” and provide temporary military support.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France was working with partners in Europe, Asia and India on a potential international mission to escort ships through the strait. He stressed that this should happen when “circumstances allow“, after the fighting has subsided.
Senior French officials said that the Netherlands, Italy and Greece have shown interest and that Spain could be involved in some way in the context of ongoing negotiations.
For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “Great Britain will not be drawn into a larger-scale war“, but that he was discussing with the United States and allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf the possibility of using unmanned drones to search for mines. Starmer was referring to the fact that his country already has drones in the region that it could use for such a task. However, he indicated that London was unlikely to send a warship.
The war in Iran, triggered by air strikes by Israel and the United States on February 28, has sent fuel and energy prices soaring around the world, with Brent crude prices jumping 40%. The conflict has also disrupted the wider global supply chain beyond oil, affecting everything from medicines from India to semiconductors from Asia to petroleum-based products such as fertilizers coming from the Middle East.