European leaders have rejected demands by United States President Donald Trump ⁠to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Joining a European Union gathering in Brussels on Monday to discuss skyrocketing oil prices during the US-Israeli war on Iran, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin had no intention of joining military operations during the conflict.

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“We need more clarity here,” Wadephul told reporters ahead of the meeting. “We expect from the US and Israel to inform us, to include us into what they’re doing there and to tell us if these goals are achieved.”

“Once we have a clear picture of that, we believe we need to move into the next phase, namely, defining a security architecture for this entire region, together with the neighbouring states,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking from Berlin, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that while there would be “no military participation” from his country, it was prepared to support diplomatic efforts “to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”.

“This is not our war. We have ⁠not started it,” said Pistorius. “What does … Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful ⁠US Navy cannot do?”

Also speaking from Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman said the conflict has “nothing to do with NATO”. Stefan Kornelius told reporters NATO was “an alliance for the defence of territory”, adding that “the mandate to deploy NATO is lacking”.

Germany’s position was echoed by fellow NATO member the United Kingdom. Speaking from London about joining any mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Let me be clear: that won’t be, and it’s never been envisioned to be, a NATO mission.”

Starmer stressed the UK would “not be drawn into the wider war”. However, he said the UK was discussing with the US and allies in Europe and the Gulf the possibility of using its mine-hunting drones already in the region.

Scepticism

A number of EU countries joined Germany in reacting with scepticism to Trump’s call on Sunday for a naval coalition to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments transit.

The key Gulf waterway has essentially been shuttered as a result of the war, which has seen the US and Israel launch deadly attacks across Iran since February 28. Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones across the wider Middle East, roiling global energy markets.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten told the country’s ANP news agency that it would be “very difficult to launch a successful mission there in the short term”.

Lithuania and Estonia said NATO countries should consider a US request for help, but cautioned over the need for greater clarity around various aspects of any potential mission.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also said that US allies in Europe want to understand Trump’s “strategic goals”. “What will be the plan?” he asked.

⁠Greek government spokesman ⁠Pavlos ⁠Marinakis said ⁠that Greece ⁠would not ⁠engage in ⁠any military operations ‌in the Strait of Hormuz.

Italian Foreign ⁠Minister Antonio ⁠Tajani said Italy was not involved in any naval missions that could be ‌extended to the area.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, however, that Europe should keep an open mind ⁠on helping to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait even if the continent did not support the ⁠US-Israeli decision to go to war with Iran.

“We must face the world as it is, not as we want it to be,” Rasmussen said, adding that the EU must decide on a plan “with a view towards de-escalation”.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski invited the Trump administration to go through the proper channels.

“If there is a request via NATO, we will, of course, out of respect and sympathy for our American allies, consider it very carefully,” he said.

Sikorski made a reference to Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allies can invoke if they believe their territory or security is under threat.

EU feels Trump’s pressure

On Monday, Trump appeared to criticise countries reluctant to help unblock the waterway.

“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me,” he said at an event at the White House.

Trump expressed surprise at the UK’s reluctance, alluding to US spending “on NATO and all of these things to protect” the US’s “oldest ally”.

He said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be announcing the names of the countries willing to aid the US.

Prior to the meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had suggested that extending the bloc’s Aspides mission was the “fastest” way for it to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz.

After the gathering, she said there had been “no appetite” for extending the mission, which was established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea.

“Nobody wants to go actively in this war,” she said.

Earlier Kallas had said the strait’s closure, which has sent oil prices to more than $100 a barrel, was benefitting Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is largely funded by Moscow’s energy revenues.

Reporting from Brussels, Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen said what was clear is that European leaders are “increasingly feeling the pressure from Trump to help him reopen the Strait of Hormuz”.

“There is very little appetite [on the part of EU leaders] for joining the war, especially because they feel left out of the loop,” Vaessen said. “They will be discussing a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean sending warships.”

 

Trump said he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron, who he said was willing to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

France had earlier suggested the EU could expand the Aspides mission, which currently has an Italian and a Greek ship under its direct command and may also call upon a French ship and another Italian vessel for support.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said NATO faced a “very bad” future if his proposal for a military operation in the strait received no response or a negative one.