‘Not NATO’s war’: Germany, UK push back on Trump pressure over Hormuz
European allies reject calls for NATO involvement in Iran war as oil crisis deepens
Germany and the United Kingdom have pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s call for NATO to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the escalating war with Iran, stressing that the conflict is not a mission for the alliance.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman said Monday that the Middle East war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran has “nothing to do with NATO” and is “not NATO’s war”, underscoring European reluctance to involve the military alliance in the conflict.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also rejected suggestions that NATO could be used to secure the strategic waterway.
The pushback came after Trump urged allies and major powers to help escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the critical Gulf shipping corridor that Iran has effectively closed to US and allied traffic during the conflict.
Trump warned that NATO faced a “very bad” future if members refused to assist in reopening the waterway, which carries a large share of global oil exports.
The dispute highlights growing tensions between Washington and European allies over the scope of NATO’s role as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its third week.
Global energy markets have already been jolted by the crisis. Oil prices surged by 40 to 50 percent after Iran choked off the strait and attacked shipping and energy targets across the region. Crude was hovering near $100 per barrel on Monday.
What is Trump asking NATO to do?
Trump has urged NATO members and other major economies to deploy ships to help ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively shut the waterway to US and allied traffic.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Trump said countries that benefit from Gulf oil exports should contribute to securing the route. “It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” he said.
He also warned that failing to support the effort would be “very bad for the future of NATO”.
Why are Germany and the UK rejecting NATO involvement?
European leaders say the Iran war does not fall within NATO’s mandate.
“NATO is an alliance for the defence of territory” and “the mandate to deploy NATO is lacking” in the current situation, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would not take part militarily in the conflict.
“There will be no military participation,” he said, though Germany was ready to support diplomatic efforts “to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”.
Pistorius also questioned the practicality of the proposal.
“What does Donald Trump expect from a handful of European frigates in the Strait of Hormuz that the mighty US navy cannot manage alone? This is the question I find myself asking,” he said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer similarly ruled out a NATO mission.
“Let me be clear, that won’t be and it’s never been envisioned to be a NATO mission,” he said.
Key facts: US–NATO relations
1949: The North Atlantic Treaty is signed, creating NATO with the United States as a founding member.
1951: US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Cold War: NATO’s primary mission is to deter a Soviet attack on Western Europe.
2001: Article 5 collective defence clause is invoked for the first time after the 9/11 attacks.
2016–2018: The United States presses allies to increase defence spending, raising budgets across the alliance.
2022: NATO strengthens its eastern flank following Russia’s attack of Ukraine.
2023–2024: Finland and Sweden join the alliance, expanding NATO membership to more than 30 countries.
Why does NATO say the conflict falls outside its mandate?
NATO was created as a collective defence alliance designed to protect member states from external attack.
Its founding treaty commits members to defend each other’s territory if one of them is attacked — not to participate in wars initiated by individual members outside alliance territory.
Because the conflict with Iran began with US-Israeli strikes and is being fought largely in the Middle East, several European governments argue it does not qualify as a NATO mission.
Germany has stressed that its main military responsibilities remain focused on defending NATO’s eastern flank and the Arctic region.
“Our main responsibility is for the eastern flank and the high north,” Pistorius said. “We stay committed to that but we can’t be anywhere in the world.”
Could NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause apply?
Article 5 — NATO’s collective defence provision — states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
But the clause is generally triggered only when a member state’s territory is attacked.
So far, no NATO member has formally invoked Article 5 in connection with the Iran conflict.
The clause has been invoked only once in NATO’s history — after the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.
Why does the Strait of Hormuz matter so much?
The Strait of Hormuz is the most important oil shipping route in the world.
About 20 per cent of global crude exports pass through the narrow waterway connecting the Gulf to international markets.
After Iran closed the strait and launched attacks on energy and shipping targets in retaliation for the war, global oil prices surged sharply.
Governments have begun releasing emergency reserves to cushion the economic impact.
The International Energy Agency said members will release around 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to stabilise supply.
Japan, which imports about 95 percent of its oil from the Middle East, has already begun lowering reserve levels.
What does the dispute reveal about tensions between the US and Europe?
The disagreement over NATO’s role highlights deeper strains in transatlantic relations.
Successive US administrations have long complained that European allies rely too heavily on American military power while spending too little on defence.
Trump has repeatedly pressed NATO members to increase defence spending and share more of the burden of security operations.
The current dispute reflects broader differences over strategy in the Iran conflict and the limits of NATO’s role beyond Europe.
- with inputs from agencies
