Overview
- On Friday, President Trump used a Truth Social post to call NATO a “paper tiger” and denounce allies as “cowards” for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which he characterized as a simple, low‑risk operation.
- Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada declared readiness to “contribute to appropriate efforts,” but offered no immediate commitments, with Berlin and Paris indicating action only after active combat ends.
- The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively under Iranian control, constraining commercial shipping and contributing to a sharp rise in global oil and fuel prices.
- No international naval escort coalition has been formally formed, and several governments note they were not consulted before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28.
- Trump has alternated between urging allied involvement and claiming the U.S. needs no assistance, as European leaders continue to cite legal and escalation risks for staying out of current operations.