Donald Trump has called for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as part of any ceasefire deal with Iran, already put at risk within hours of the announcement. The area remains under Iranian control, which for the United States’ allies in the Gulf amounts to a more than worrying scenario. Added to this is the complicated relationship between Trump and the NATO states: now the president demands military commitments.
What Trump wants from the EU
For the White House, political commitments are no longer enough: the pressure exerted by the United States on its European partners for a military commitment in the Strait of Hormuz is increasing. According to what was reported by the German weekly Der SpiegelNATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has communicated to European capitals that Donald Trump expects, in the coming days, concrete commitments to send warships or other military capabilities from Europe.
Trump’s request amounts to an ultimatum, said several European diplomats who were informed after the meeting of the secretary general of the Atlantic alliance with Trump in Washington. In recent days, Berlin had also signaled its availability in principle for a joint mission in the strait. From the federal government’s point of view, however, certain criteria must be met, for example a solid UN mandate and a lasting ceasefire or even a negotiated truce.
The disappointment for the NATO allies and the Trumpian punishments
On the sidelines of the White House summit, Rutte had to publicly admit that the US president “is clearly disappointed with many allies” for the lack of operational support provided in the Middle East. At the end of the face-to-face meeting, Trump further raised the tone by using his own social network, Truth, where he harshly criticized European inaction by declaring: “NATO wasn’t there when we needed it and it won’t be there if we need it again.”
Also Bloomberg confirmed, citing a senior NATO representative, that member countries are required to provide the United States with specific plans to secure the shipment to Hormuz within a few days. The White House is also apparently studying a series of punitive measures for some countries of the Atlantic Alliance which, according to Trump, responded negatively to his requests for help as part of the military campaign in Iran launched together with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, therefore not within the NATO framework.
Citing US administration sources, the Wall Street Journal he writes that, after the American president had initially threatened the US’s exit from NATO, he is considering the withdrawal of US forces from the countries to be beaten and transferring them to countries that have instead proven to be friends in these last five weeks of unilateral intervention
Meloni’s position
“It is the priority interest of Italy, and of its European and Western partners, that freedom of navigation be fully restored to the conditions prior to February 28, so as to be able to normalize the tense situation on the energy markets, critical raw materials, fertilizers and other essential products for our economy”, said the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, in her “information on the government’s action”, in the Chamber.
US-Iran truce, announcement by Meloni and other leaders: “We will help guarantee navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”
“On this point – he added – we are already working with the coalition for the Strait of Hormuz promoted by the United Kingdom, in which over 30 countries participate, to try to build security conditions that allow the full restoration of freedom of navigation and supply. A contribution which, we believe, is important in this negotiation phase”. A diplomatic commitment, therefore, and not a military one, as hoped and requested by Trump.
What the EU Commission says
“We are here to reiterate what international law requires, and international law guarantees freedom of navigation, which basically means no payments or tolls of any kind.” European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said this during the daily meeting with the press, responding to a question on the situation of ships in the Persian Gulf and on the hypothesis of a payment imposed by Iran for the transit of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
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“Once again, the line is clear: the Strait of Hormuz, like any other sea route, is a public good for all humanity. It means that navigation must be free,” he added. “We can say it any way you want, but the law is clear: freedom of navigation is a public good and must be guaranteed.”