Trump slams allies for lack of 'enthusiasm' in helping to open Hormuz Strait as Europeans strongly reject US requests
'Europe has no interest in an open-ended war,' EU foreign ministers say
U.S. President Donald Trump lamented the “low enthusiasm” shown by the United States' ostensible allies for helping to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed due to Iranian attacks on shipping.
Speaking at an event at the White House on Monday, Trump said, “Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way… Some are very enthusiastic about it… and some aren’t,” he said. “The level of enthusiasm matters to me.”
Throughout Monday, several European leaders delivered stinging rebukes to Trump’s request for a “Hormuz Coalition.”
After a meeting of the EU’s foreign ministers, the group’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday evening that “Europe has no interest in an open-ended war.”
.@POTUS: "We don't need anybody. We're the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military, by far, in the world." pic.twitter.com/GWl86BblGp
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026
Trump explained that “we don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world,” adding that “I’m almost doing [this initiative]… because I want to find out how [countries will] react. I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there.”
In an interview with the Financial Times published over the weekend, Trump had warned that it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if European countries failed to respond.
“We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly, with great enthusiasm,” he emphasized at the White House.
Reporter: Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?@POTUS: "Yeah, I have spoken to him. He's been, on a scale of 0-10, I'd say he's been an 8. Not perfect — but it's France." pic.twitter.com/VqCGUHUFDa
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026
Trump also noted that French President Emmanuel Macron was likely to help, “I mean, I'll let you know, I spoke to him yesterday.”
“On a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight,” Trump said. “Not perfect, but it’s France.”
However, he said he was “not happy” with the response from the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “I think they’ll be involved, yeah, maybe. But they should be involved enthusiastically,” Trump said, adding that he had told Starmer, “You’re our oldest ally, and we spend a lot of money on, you know, NATO and all of these things to protect you.”
Kallas said that the foreign ministers agreed that “This is not Europe’s war, but Europe’s interests are directly at stake.”
“Extending this mandate to cover the Strait of Hormuz ... there was no appetite from the member states to do that,” she reiterated. “Nobody wants to go actively in this war.”
The lack of support has puzzled Israeli officials, as well as President Isaac Herzog. “After talking and talking for a whole generation, it’s about time for doing,” he told AFP in an interview.
Defeating the Iranian regime is “in the innermost national security interests of Europe,” he stressed, noting that it was working to acquire “10 times the amount of ballistic missiles, which would have threatened Europe big time.”
“Where is the whole world? Rather than all the time criticizing Israel, let’s help us. Let’s help the Americans,” he pleaded. “Let’s help us bring a real change so that there will be a different future in the region.”
.@POTUS on the Strait of Hormuz: "We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait, far more than ours... we want them to come and help us with the strait." pic.twitter.com/sT07SIt30i
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz usually carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports. With the U.S. being among the world’s largest oil producers, the effective closure is likely to hit U.S. allies harder than the Americans, Trump noted.
"We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait, far more than ours... we want them to come and help us with the strait."
“Ultimately that security of the Strait of Hormuz is in their interest,” agreed the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker. Trump “is absolutely right to suggest that our allies need to come, need to help us and support our efforts,” Whitaker added.
POLITICO cited four NATO diplomats who said that a NATO mission to support the U.S. and Israel is unlikely, both because it won’t get the necessary backing and also because routing support through the NATO framework would take longer than getting bilateral commitments.
They also added that the U.S. hasn’t formally requested support from NATO allies. “Some allies won’t be steered into involvement there,” one of the diplomats said, “plus, it’s not directly NATO’s area of responsibility.”
The outlet said that EU leaders are planning a summit for Thursday, with a draft statement showing the leaders will likely call for “de-escalation and maximum restraint” in Iran and the wider region.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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