More than 30 leaders joined a video conference call on Friday to map out an international mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
PARIS — European leaders pledged to rapidly ramp up a multinational effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said it would reopen the vital waterway to maritime traffic, even if Donald Trump doesn’t want their help.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the prime ministers of Italy and the United Kingdom, Giorgia Meloni and Keir Starmer, jointly announced Friday that they would be spearheading what Starmer called a “defensive” mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels.
“We agreed to accelerate the military planning, I can confirm that France and the U.K. will lead a multinational mission to protect freedom of passage as soon as conditions allow,” said Starmer, adding that details would be shared at a military planning conference in London next week.
The United States, however doesn’t appear inclined to accept that assistance.
After announcing that Tehran had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following Israel and Lebanon’s agreement on a 10-day ceasefire, Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social account that his NATO allies were “useless” and weren’t needed.
“I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL,” he wrote.
Trump and other top U.S. officials have expressed deep frustration in recent weeks with allies who have refused to either back U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran or assist in ensuring the freedom of navigation in international waters while the fighting was still ongoing.
France and the United Kingdom have promised to help secure the waterway only once a ceasefire is reached between Washington and Tehran. Friday’s meeting was an opportunity for European leaders to showcase that they can contribute effectively to either keeping the peace or ensuring the stability of global trade flows.
“Our mission is defensive and comes after the ceasefire,” said Starmer. “We will see how we will play our part, but we want no tolls and no restrictions.”
But the exact details of a potential international mission remain sketchy.
After the meeting in Paris on Friday, which included leaders from more than two dozen countries via videoconference, Meloni offered to deploy Italian frigates to the region. Germany on Thursday said it would contribute minesweepers.
“It’s going in the right direction, even if the opening of Hormuz is conditional to coordination by the Iranian authorities and the United States has said it is going to maintain a targeted blockade,” Macron said.
“Recent developments are encouraging but we must take them with caution,” the French leader added.
But Europeans are at odds about whether the United States should be included in the mission, with France insisting the mission should only include non-belligerent countries, and Germany keen on including an American contingent.
On Friday, that rift still looked open. Merz said it would be “desirable” to include the U.S., while Macron insisted the coalition should be “neutral and separate from the belligerents.”