President Donald Trump on Monday complained that some countries are not joining the coalition to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Some people are very enthusiastic about it, and some people are not so enthusiastic about it,” Trump said at a news conference. “And I think there are some people who won’t do it. I think there’s one or two people who won’t do it, which we’ve spent tens of billions of dollars defending for about 40 years.”
President Trump is pressuring U.S. allies to send troops to export oil through the strait. The Iranian attack has sharply reduced tanker traffic through the narrow seaway. This caused the biggest oil supply disruption in history, with oil prices soaring about 40% since the US and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago.
President Trump declined to say which countries had agreed to join the coalition. The president said the White House would soon release a list of countries that have agreed to do so.
“Many countries told me they were moving in that direction,” Trump said.
UK, France, Germany
The President said Britain was reluctant to join the Union. President Trump said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was reluctant to send two aircraft carriers to the region at the request of the United States.
“He really didn’t want to do that,” Trump said. “We were not happy with the UK. I think the UK will be involved, but they should be actively involved. We have been protecting these countries with NATO for many years.”
Mr Starmer said on Monday that the UK was working with all allies on a plan to restore freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf as soon as possible.
“Ultimately we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to restore market stability and that is no easy task,” Starmer told a news conference.
President Trump said he had discussed escorting the tanker with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I think he’s going to help,” Trump said. “Let me know. I talked to him yesterday. I won’t sell them hard because the idea is that we don’t need anyone. We are the strongest country in the world.”
President Macron said in a social media post on Sunday that freedom of navigation in the strait “must be restored as soon as possible.” France deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean.
A French Foreign Ministry social media post on Saturday said the aircraft carrier was in a defensive position and the situation had not changed.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Berlin would not take part in naval missions in the Persian Gulf. Merz said the United States and Israel did not consult Germany before the war. He said Berlin wants to halt Iran’s nuclear and missile programs but will not join the conflict.
“As long as the war continues, it means that we will not enter the Strait of Hormuz with military assets to guarantee freedom of navigation,” the prime minister said at a press conference. “We have no concept of how such an operation could be successful.”
Japan
Britain, France, and Germany have traditionally been the United States’ closest allies in Europe. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday that the Japanese government currently has no plans to send troops to escort tankers passing through the strait.
“No decision has been made regarding the dispatch of an escort ship,” Takaichi told parliament on Monday, according to the Japan Times. “We are considering what Japan can do on its own and what is possible within the legal framework,” he said.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Thursday that the U.S. Navy is not prepared to escort tankers through the strait.
“That will happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now,” Wright said. “We are completely unprepared. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing that provides that offensive capability.”
