President Donald Trump said Monday that he is frustrated some countries will not join a coalition to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Some are very enthusiastic, and some are less than enthusiastic,” Trump told reporters at a press conference. “And I assume some will not do it. I think we have one or two that will not do it that we’ve been protecting for about 40 years at tens of billions of dollars.”
Trump has been pressuring U.S. allies to send military forces to get oil exports flowing through the Strait. Tanker traffic through the narrow sea route has plunged due to Iranian attacks. This has triggered the largest oil supply disruption in history, with crude prices surging about 40% since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago.
Trump declined to name which nations have agreed to participate in the coalition. The president said the White House will soon announce a list of countries that have agreed to do so.
“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” Trump said.
Britain, France and Germany
The president said the United Kingdom has been reluctant to join the coalition. Trump said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was hesitant to send two aircraft carriers to the region at U.S. request.
“He didn’t really want to do it,” Trump said. “I was not happy with the U.K. I think they’ll be involved, but they should be involved enthusiastically. We’ve been protecting these countries for years with NATO.”
Starmer said Monday that the U.K. is working on a plan with all of its allies to restore freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf as quickly as possible.
“Ultimately, we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to restore stability in the market — that is not a simple task,” Starmer said at a press conference.
Trump said he has spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron about escorting tankers.
“I think he’s going help,” Trump said. “I’ll let you know. I spoke to him yesterday. I don’t do a hard sell on them because my attitude is, we don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world.”
Macron said in a social media post Sunday that freedom of navigation in the Strait “must be restored as soon as possible.” France has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The aircraft carrier is deployed in defensive posture and there has been no change to its status, according to a Saturday social media post from France’s Foreign Ministry.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Berlin will not participate in a naval mission in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. and Israel did not consult Germany before the war, Merz said. Berlin wants an end to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs but it will not join the conflict, he said.
“That means that so long as the war continues, we will not participate in the Strait of Hormuz with military assets to guarantee freedom of navigation,” the chancellor said at a press conference. “We are not aware of any concept of how such an operation could be successful.”
Japan
Britain, France and Germany are traditionally the closest U.S. allies in Europe. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that Tokyo does not currently have plans to send forces to escort tankers through the Strait.
“No decision has been made whatsoever regarding the dispatch of escort vessels,” Takaichi told parliament Monday, according to The Japan Times. “We are currently examining what Japan can do independently and what is possible within the legal framework.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC Thursday that the U.S. Navy is not ready to escort tankers through the Strait.
“It’ll happen relatively soon but it can’t happen now,” Wright said. “We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”
