Associated Press reported that Donald Trump has framed his demands to allies in transactional terms, telling them “We’ve long had your back, now it’s our turn,” as he asks partners to send warships to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, has become central to the argument for immediate maritime help, according to the reporting.
The push has met with refusals or noncommittal responses from close European partners, and a veteran French defense analyst, François Heisbourg, said the replies amounted to a “global raspberry.” No close ally has come forward with immediate help, the report said, while China—asked to help but not described as an ally—was also said to be ignoring Trump’s call.
Britain’s refusal became the clearest public break. The report said Trump singled out the U.K. after he “was sort of considered the Rolls-Royce of allies,” and that he had asked for British minesweeping ships. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain “will not be drawn into the wider war” and argued that British troops would need the backing of international law and “a proper thought-through plan,” signaling that those elements were not in place.
France likewise rejected immediate participation. The report said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and French officials emphasized diplomacy and a need for conditions to change before naval action is considered. In the reporting, Pistorius said, “It is not our war; we did not start it,” and added that “We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end to the conflict,” saying that “Sending more warships to the region will certainly not contribute to that.” French President Emmanuel Macron, the report said, has instead floated possible naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz only once the fighting has died down.
European leaders also pushed back on the premise that the conflict should become a shared European mission. The report cited European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying, “This is not Europe’s war. We didn’t start the war. We were not consulted.” Other officials described broader alliance fraying, with earlier disputes including tariffs and other issues having already strained relationships, and the report said some European leaders have become unwilling to keep complying with what they see as harsh demands.
The Associated Press reported that some allies are also assessing the military and political risk of escorting efforts while the war is still ongoing. Retired naval officers, in the report, warned that unblocking the Strait of Hormuz with military escorts during the conflict—and without Iran’s consent—would be dangerous. The report said France has moved its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, and that French military spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet said any escorting would be conditional on talks with Iran.
Macron’s outreach to Iran has become a point of leverage in the negotiations described by the report. It said Macron publicized two calls in eight days with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Trump later praised the engagement, saying Monday, “On a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight. Not perfect, but it’s France. We don’t expect perfect.” At the same time, Trump signaled continuing frustration with other allies’ unwillingness to do more, saying Tuesday that they would “do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”
The report also described what allies see as the strategic calculation behind their restraint: access to Middle Eastern energy depends on the flow of oil and gas, and European and Asian governments have reason to weigh the costs of escalation against the shared benefits of keeping shipping routes open. It said allies also know resisting Trump carries risks of retaliation, and that European partners need continued U.S. support for Ukraine, including weaponry and intelligence, as well as the U.S. role in easing pressures on Russia. Amanda Sloat, a former U.S. national security adviser who now teaches at Spain’s IE University, said in the report that it was that kind of support that “kept European leaders quiet for a lot of last year in the face of the rhetoric and actions,” while also warning that it is now “making them a little bit nervous now.”