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Evgenia Filimianova

(Epoch Times) President Donald Trump’s push for allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz has drawn a patchwork response, with the UK and France signaling support for coordinated action to restore navigation.

Several European and Asian partners are rejecting military involvement, and the European Union is debating whether it can do more to protect shipping without widening the Iran war.

Trump said on March 15 that he had asked about seven countries that depend heavily on the waterway to help secure it, after earlier naming China, France, Japan, South Korea, and Britain as countries he hoped would deploy ships while U.S. forces kept targeting what remained of Iran’s naval capabilities. The Strait normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Brent crude traded near $105 a barrel on March 16 after rising more than 40 percent since the war began.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took one of the more active positions among U.S. allies, while still stopping short of committing forces. Starmer said on March 16 that 10 Downing Street was working with allies, including in Europe and the Gulf, to develop a “viable, collective plan” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’re not, there are no decisions having been made. It’ll have to be something which is agreed by as many partners as possible, is my strong view. And we’re not at that stage yet, but we are working hard,” Starmer said, adding that this has been discussed with Trump.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a March 15 post on X after speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, called for an end to Iran’s attacks in the region.

“Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible,” he said, adding that only a new political and security framework could deliver lasting peace and security.

A day earlier, the French Foreign Ministry said in its response account on X that its naval mission is in the Eastern Mediterranean and remains “defensive.”

EU Weighs Options

Arriving for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on March 16, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the closure was hurting the global economy, affecting partners in the region, and helping Russia finance its war.

Kallas added that ministers would discuss possible contributions from the bloc’s Aspides naval mission. Launched in 2024, the mission aims to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waters from attacks by Yemen-based Houthi forces.

Kallas said she had also discussed with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres whether a Black Sea-style arrangement could help resume oil and gas transport, and she stressed that any operational move would depend on what EU member states were willing to do.

On NATO, she said prior contacts had taken place, but the Gulf was “out of NATO’s area of action,” adding that “there are no NATO countries in the Strait of Hormuz.”

That caution was echoed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who said on March 16 that he saw no indication NATO had taken a decision on Hormuz or would become responsible for it.

Wadephul urged Washington and Israel to clarify when they would consider their military objectives achieved and said Germany was pressing for sanctions against those responsible for blocking the strait because the disruption was sending “shockwaves around the world.”

Denmark signaled openness to some European contribution, even though it did not back the U.S.-Israeli decision to go to war.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on March 16 that Europe should keep “an open mind” about how it might help ensure freedom of navigation, while emphasizing de-escalation and noting Copenhagen had not yet received a U.S. request.

Others were more explicit in ruling out direct involvement.

Spain said on March 16 it would not take part in any military mission in Hormuz because it viewed the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran as illegal.

“Spain will never accept any stopgap measures, because the objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end now,” Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.

Arriving in Brussels on March 16, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that ending the conflict through negotiation was essential to protect civilians and avoid a global surge in energy prices.

Greece also ruled out military operations in the Strait, with government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis saying on March 16 that Athens would limit itself to the Aspides mission.

Italy struck a similarly cautious tone, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani telling reporters in Brussels that while Rome supported reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea, these missions cannot be expanded to include Hormuz.

Asia

In Asia, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on March 16 that Tokyo had made no decision to dispatch escort ships, citing constitutional and legal constraints.
She said in a March 16 post on X that “with crude oil tankers effectively unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, crude oil imports to Japan are expected to decrease significantly from around March 20th onwards.”

Australia, on March 16, ruled out sending naval ships to the Strait of Hormuz, while South Korea has said it would review Trump’s request carefully.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on March 16 that tensions around the Strait of Hormuz had disrupted international trade and threatened regional stability, but Beijing’s priority was de-escalation rather than military involvement.

He said China was urging all sides to halt military operations immediately, avoid further escalation, and prevent broader damage to the global economy.

Asked about Trump’s request that China help secure the waterway, Lin repeated that Beijing was “in communication with relevant parties” and working to reduce tensions, without confirming any U.S. request for Chinese naval participation or committing to sending ships.

President Donald Trump said on March 15 that he may delay a planned meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and expected Beijing to assist in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

According to remarks by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on March 16, the delay is not to pressure Beijing on the Strait of Hormuz.

“If the meeting for some reason was rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics,” Bessent said.

“The president wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war, and traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.”

Gulf Pressure

In a joint statement on March 15, Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers and the UK stressed the importance of protecting airspace, maritime routes, freedom of navigation, shipping operations, and the stability of global energy markets.

The ministers noted the international condemnation of any Iranian actions or threats aimed at closing or obstructing international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or threatening maritime security in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

On March 16, Iran rejected the broadest characterization of the Hormuz shutdown.

“From our perspective, it is open,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, adding that the strait was “only closed to our enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.