Trump Loses All His European and Asian Allies in Iran War

US President Donald Trump recently called on several countries to deploy their naval ships to the Strait of Hormuz in order to secure the strategic waterway.

Trump said he hoped that China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, along with other countries affected by what he described as an artificial restriction of shipping through the strait by Iran, would send ships to the region.

"Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday.

He also stated that the United States would continue "ruthlessly bombing” the Iranian coastline and promised to make the strait open, safe, and free "one way or another.”

Trump Warns NATO Allies

Trump warned that the future of NATO would look "very bad” if alliance members ignored his call.

"We were not obliged to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of kilometers away from us… But we helped them. Now we will see whether they will help us,” the US president said.

Allies Decline to Send Warships

So far, none of the countries mentioned by Trump have confirmed plans to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius rejected the idea, even though Germany was not directly mentioned in Trump's statement.

"This is not our war. We did not start it. We want diplomatic solutions and a quick end to the conflict, but increasing the number of warships in the region is unlikely to help,” Pistorius said.

He added that Germany remains primarily responsible for the eastern flank of NATO and the Atlantic. According to him, those priorities take precedence.

German government spokesperson Steffen Cornelius also said the conflict has no relation to NATO, emphasizing that the alliance's mission is to defend its own territory.

United Kingdom and France Also Hold Back

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also declined to send warships to the strait. Meanwhile, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said London is exploring options to restore shipping but avoided making specific commitments.

According to reports, the British government is considering sending drones to search for naval mines rather than deploying warships.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied reports that France had sent vessels to the region. Officials confirmed that the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its naval group will remain in the Mediterranean Sea on a purely defensive mission.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had said that a defensive mission to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could be prepared together with European and non-European partners after the most intense phase of the conflict ends.

Japan and South Korea Respond

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also rejected sending ships, stressing the importance of diplomatic efforts to stabilize the situation.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi noted that Japan had not yet received an official request but said any decision would follow national legislation.

South Korea has not formally refused the request. Officials from the presidential administration said Trump's proposal requires careful discussion between Seoul and Washington.

Trump Claims Positive Response

Despite the refusals, Trump stated that some countries responded positively to his appeal.

"We received some positive reactions. Several countries would prefer not to get involved,” he said.

The US president added that several countries possess specialized minesweepers and vessels that could help secure the area.

Russian Expert Explains Trump's Appeal

Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for International Security at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, suggested that Trump's appeal reflects concerns about potential reputational damage if US naval forces suffer losses.

According to the expert, Washington may fear the public impact of images showing American aircraft carriers destroyed by Iranian drones.

Kozyulin argued that such a scenario could significantly damage the reputation of the United States and highlight vulnerabilities in the US naval fleet.