US President Donald Trump has called on China and allies to help resolve the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Several countries have responded to Trump's call for help in the Strait of Hormuz crisis, but none have yet committed to sending warships to the strait, UNN reports, citing CNN.
Details
Trump said he had received "some positive feedback" to his request for help and warned that NATO faced a "very bad future" if allies did not support it.
"They were contacted today and last night, but we got some positive feedback. There were also those who would not intervene," he told reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday. He did not name the countries his administration had contacted.
"Several countries have responded to Trump's call, but have not committed to sending ships to the strait, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the war," the publication writes.
Country-by-country reaction
Here's what countries are saying:
- China did not mention sending ships to the strait but expressed alarm about the conflict hours after Trump called on Beijing for help. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called the situation "tense" and undermining global stability, adding: "China once again calls on all parties to immediately cease military actions, avoid further escalation of tensions, and prevent greater impact of regional turbulence on global economic development." Asked about Trump's statement about the possibility of postponing a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday: "Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations. Both sides are in communication regarding President Trump's visit to China." He also dodged a question about whether China had received any request from the US to send ships to the waters around the Strait of Hormuz;
- The UK is working with allies, including in Europe, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, without providing details. Starmer said that last week's "absolutely unprecedented" release of emergency oil reserves would not be enough to calm energy markets. "Ultimately, we must reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability in the market – that is no easy task. So we are working with our allies, including our European partners, to develop a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible and mitigate the economic impact," Starmer said on Monday. Starmer did not elaborate on potential plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil normally flows. In his speech, Starmer did not directly mention Trump, who warned on Sunday that NATO would face a "very bad future" if US allies did not help in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked after the US and Israeli attack. Starmer also announced a £53 million ($70 million) aid package to help vulnerable households in the UK dependent on heating oil, the first major policy statement in response to the economic shock caused by the expanding war. Starmer also justified his decision not to join the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, saying he was not prepared to enter a conflict "without a plan to get out of it";
- Germany said on Monday that NATO should not play a role in securing the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump warned that the defense alliance faced a "very bad" future if it did not provide assistance. Speaking before a meeting of EU foreign ministers, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Germany did not see NATO "taking responsibility" for the Strait of Hormuz. Wadephul said that Germany supported imposing sanctions on "those responsible" for blocking the key shipping lane. A German government spokesman said: "This war has nothing to do with NATO. This is not a NATO war." The German government also reaffirmed that it would not participate in any activities in the Strait of Hormuz. "Participation was not considered before this war and is not being considered now," the German government spokesman added. He told reporters that "before the war, both the United States and Israel made it clear that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired";
- France will not send ships to the strait, as confirmed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In its response on X, the ministry stated that its naval mission is in the Eastern Mediterranean and remains "defensive";
- Italy, as AP notes, is another country that has cautiously responded to Trump's demand that allies help open the Strait of Hormuz. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels on Monday that Italy supports strengthening EU naval missions in the Red Sea. But he added: "However, I do not think that these missions can be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz, especially given that these are anti-piracy and defense missions";
- Japan currently has no plans to send ships, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. "We have not yet made any decisions on sending naval vessels. We are currently studying what Japan can do independently within our legal framework," she told parliament on Monday;
- Australia will not send ships. "We know how incredibly important this is, but we have not been asked to, and we are not involved in it," Transport Minister Catherine King said on Monday;
- South Korea will carefully consider Trump's request, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the presidential administration. "We will work closely with the US on this issue and make a decision after careful consideration."
US work behind the scenes
Meanwhile, CNN notes that US officials are working behind the scenes to rally coalition support for securing the Strait of Hormuz.
According to people familiar with the matter, US officials spent much of the weekend working to mobilize support for US President Donald Trump's demand that other countries help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and hope to announce a new coalition in the coming days.
Who this coalition consists of and when it might be announced remain open questions. Even loyal US allies are cautious about sending their military into the disputed waterway while an active war is underway, the publication notes.
Nevertheless, US officials said they hoped to at least get preliminary commitments to support securing the strait, even if countries leave details such as which ships will be deployed and when, for a later date.
Trump himself, CNN reports, spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday evening, but the conversation did not lead to an immediate announcement of British resources heading to the strait.
Trump is expected to hold additional talks throughout the week. On Thursday, he will host Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her first visit to the White House since her election.
But she also refrained from committing to sending Japanese warships to the strait.
Administration officials still say they expect the war with Iran to last four to six weeks, meaning at least two more weeks remain. While the US and Israel have succeeded in destroying much of Iran's missile arsenal, its air defenses, and its navy, the hardline regime remains in power and continues to demonstrate the ability to disrupt global energy trade.
European officials, the publication writes, said one of their concerns was that Trump would declare victory in Iran in the coming weeks and leave them to patrol the strait afterward. Before the war, there were virtually no attempts to gain support from US allies.
But they also recognize the need to carefully manage the situation, fearing alienating Trump at a time when another conflict – the war in Ukraine – "appears to be at a critical juncture."
US efforts to protect the Strait of Hormuz continue
Meanwhile, AP writes, the top US military commander in the Middle East, Brad Cooper, said that US forces are focusing on Iranian threats to cargo ships carrying oil and natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz," said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, in a video posted on X on Monday.
Iranian strikes on commercial vessels have effectively halted shipping through the waterway, which transports a fifth of the world's oil, and Iran has allowed only a few vessels to pass. This has sharply increased the price of oil and is putting pressure on Washington to do something to ease consumer pain.
Iran's reaction
At the same time, CNN reports, Iran, in the person of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, criticized the United States for turning to allies for help in opening the Strait of Hormuz, while demanding Iran's surrender.
"They launched massive attacks and again repeated the demand for unconditional surrender. Today, about 15 days (sic) after the start of the war, they are asking other countries for help to secure the Strait of Hormuz and keep it open," Araghchi said.
"From our point of view, the strait is open; it is closed only to our enemies and to those who have committed unjust aggression against our country," the Iranian foreign minister added.
Iran said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is "not closed" but operates under "special conditions." "Parties that did not participate in military aggression against Iran were able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with our armed forces and with their permission," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
"No coastal country in such a situation can allow hostile ships and vessels to pass normally to strengthen their forces and carry out aggressive actions against that coastal state," he added, adding that the US, Israel, and their supporters "naturally should not be able to use the Strait of Hormuz to strike Iran."
According to Pakistani shipping sources and vessel tracking data, CNN writes, three Pakistani oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the last ten days, indicating that Iran may be providing safe passage to some oil shipments. The latest Pakistani tanker to cross the strait was the "Karachi," a source from the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) told CNN on condition of anonymity. "It is very likely" that safe passage was "agreed with the Iranians," the source said. Vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic showed that the oil tanker passed through the strait on Sunday evening, bypassing the Iranian coast. MarineTraffic reported that the tanker was sailing in Iran's exclusive economic zone and broadcasting its automatic identification system (AIS) signal, "indicating that individual shipments may be receiving coordinated safe passage."
At the same time, CNN notes, the Iranian military warned that facilities in the Red Sea used by the US Navy would be considered "potential targets," which is Tehran's first explicit threat regarding the presence of US military in this critically important maritime route.
"The presence of the American aircraft carrier 'Gerald R. Ford' in the Red Sea is considered a threat to Iran," Iran's joint military command said on Monday, according to Fars. "Therefore, the logistical and service centers supporting the aforementioned naval group in the Red Sea will be considered potential targets by the Iranian armed forces."
Several Saudi ports are located in the Red Sea, handling oil exports and other commercial traffic.
Saudi Arabia is increasing oil exports from Yanbu and other terminals on its Red Sea coast amid an almost complete closure of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia reroutes oil exports due to threat in Strait of Hormuz - Bloomberg16.03.26, 09:40