Trump: ‘Numerous’ nations to help with Strait of Hormuz closure despite lack of support from UK, NATO

President Trump has said multiple nations have committed to helping the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as allies in Europe and Asia publicly declined.

Trump made the statement at a White House meeting Tuesday with Kennedy Center board members, noting the U.S. military has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran with a 90% reduction in Iranian ballistic missile launches and a 95% drop in drone attacks, according to CBS News.

“Numerous countries have told me they are on the way,” Trump said, adding he was keeping close tabs on which countries step up and which ones hold back, especially those whose security the U.S. military underwrites.

He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would announce the participating nations.

No country has publicly confirmed, but some have publicly refused.

Australia, Japan, Poland, Sweden and Spain said they had no intention of sending ships, Al Jazeera reported.

Germany’s defense minister said there would be “no military participation,” but the country was open to diplomatic talks with Iran.

South Korea and the United Kingdom said they were reviewing the situation, noted the Qatar-based media company.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said any Hormuz mission was never envisioned as a NATO operation and the UK would “not be drawn into the wider war.”

He left open the possibility of deploying mine-hunting drones already in the region.

However, Starmer was equivocal in saying the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened and Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

The European Union (EU) already has a naval mission in the Red Sea to counter attacks by the Iranian proxy, Yemen’s Houthi rebel group.

After a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was “no appetite” for extending this mission to cover the Strait, Reuters reported.

Just 2% of U.S. petroleum consumption transits the Strait of Hormuz, while Asian nations receive nearly 90% of the oil passing through it, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Europe’s exposure is primarily through liquefied natural gas (LNG) – roughly one-fifth of global LNG gas trade moves through the Strait, most of it from Qatar.

That’s why Trump was so dissatisfied with the responses from allied nations.

He said he was “not happy” with the UK’s Starmer for not immediately committing and questioned why the British prime minister needed to consult his team before deciding whether to send minesweepers, according to the Guardian.

“I said you don’t need to meet with your team – you’re the prime minister, you can make your own.”

Trump added, “Why do you have to meet with your team to find out whether or not you’re going to send some minesweepers to help us or to send some boats?”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved a command request to deploy the USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to the Middle East, adding up to 5,000 personnel, several warships and F-35B fighters to forces already in the region.

The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group will join the Gerald R. Ford and Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups operating in the theater, USNI News said.

The 31st MEU is trained for limited-scale raids such as port seizure operations, seizure of maritime platforms and selected maritime security missions, along with traditional ground operations, according to its website.

Ground operations have not been announced but have not been ruled out.

The same unit figured prominently in the clearance of Fallujah during the Iraq war, one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

The New York Times reported 50,000 U.S. troops are now in and around the region, although it’s unclear whether this term includes sailors or just American soldiers and Marines.

Naval News estimates the Tripoli group will take 10-15 days to reach the Strait of Hormuz area.

Army and Marine rocket artillery units have been systematically targeting Iranian naval assets, including sinking at least one Russian-made Kilo-class submarine at the Iranian Navy’s main base at Bandar Abbas.

The Institute for the Study of War assessed this week that the military campaign is achieving its objectives but remains incomplete.

According to CENTCOM, American forces have struck roughly 6,000 targets inside Iran, damaged or destroyed more than 90 Iranian vessels – including more than 60 ships and at least 30 minelayers – since the operation launched Feb. 28.

“Declaring this operation a military failure is premature while the campaign remains underway and incomplete, particularly as the evidence clearly shows progress being made towards accomplishing its core objectives,” ISW concluded.

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to commercial traffic as Trump expressed doubts NATO would step up.

“We were going to protect them, but I always said, when in need, they don’t protect us,” Trump said of U.S. allies, according to CBS News.