The outburst came following Thursday’s European Council, where national leaders struck a cautious tone in emphasizing de-escalation and resisting involvement in a conflict with no apparent end in sight. Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez even described the war as illegal — underscoring the size of the breach with Washington.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have resisted sending warships to the Gulf. On Thursday they backed a joint statement with partners Japan and Canada supporting “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through Hormuz — but only once the fighting stops, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed.
French President Emmanuel Macron is sounding out allies on a potential U.N.-backed framework to secure shipping, while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he remains “confident” that the allies will find a way to restore traffic through the chokepoint.
Trump’s attack follows days of mounting pressure on Washington, both military and economic. Earlier this week he warned NATO allies that they face a “very bad future” if they fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz, and in January mocked allies for allegedly shying away from the toughest fighting over a decade ago in their joint mission in Afghanistan.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump told Fox news on Jan. 22. “And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” At the time, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the remarks “insulting and, frankly, appalling.”