The message from European governments was unanimous: the crisis at the Strait of Hormuz demands diplomatic solutions, not the warships that Donald Trump has been demanding. European leaders from Berlin to Rome turned down the US president’s calls for naval deployment, arguing that military action without a shared mandate, clear objectives, and broad international backing was neither wise nor appropriate. Trump’s warning that NATO faced a bleak future unless allies acted did little to alter the European consensus.
Germany’s response was the most definitive, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruling out any military role and his defense minister challenging the coherence of Trump’s request. Pistorius asked plainly what value European frigates would add to a situation where the US Navy had already failed to restore order. Merz addressed the political objective of ending the Iranian regime while cautioning that history offered many cautionary examples of air campaigns that failed to deliver lasting political change.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised a viable plan and broad coalition-building but declined to commit to specific actions. He acknowledged the global importance of the strait and the difficulty of the task. While Trump expressed his disappointment with London, he stopped short of writing Britain off as a potential partner, suggesting the relationship remained complex and ongoing.
Italy, Greece, France, Japan, and Australia each separately declined participation. The EU’s Operation Aspides remained in the Red Sea after ministers voted not to expand its mandate. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed the outcome, noting the lack of member state enthusiasm for changing the mission’s scope. Estonia’s foreign minister added a broadly shared European concern by calling for transparency on American and Israeli objectives.
Military operations continued to escalate on multiple fronts. Israel conducted large-scale strikes on Iran’s major cities and said detailed operational plans extended several weeks into the future. Drone attacks disrupted UAE oil operations and briefly halted flights near Dubai. Iran rejected any ceasefire and warned Washington against ground troop deployment. The US confirmed 13 military deaths and more than 200 wounded, while rights groups reported more than 1,800 deaths in Iran, with the majority being civilians.