The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands voiced their joint readiness to contribute to an effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States’s European allies have given a lukewarm response to the war with Iran, with several condemning it as outside international law, and others openly questioning what the objective is. However, the six countries issued a joint statement voicing their willingness to assist in an effort to secure the critical maritime lane, from which Europe sources much of its energy.
“We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” the statement begins, calling on Tehran to cease all its attacks.
They stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and the dangers of closing the strait to the global energy supply.
“Consistent with UNSC Resolution 2817, we emphasise that such interference with international shipping and the disruption of global energy supply chains constitute a threat to international peace and security,” the statement reads. “In this regard, we call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”
The latter part of the statement is the first clear signal from several of the U.S.’s biggest allies that they would be willing to contribute to a force to unblock the strait, a significant diplomatic victory for Trump after many shirked the call.
Despite the change in rhetoric, the statement was sparse on details. It remains uncertain how much the signatories would be willing to contribute.
The U.S. has more major naval vessels than all the other countries listed combined, but its Navy is spread across the world. A focused effort from the six nations could give a sizable boost to the naval presence around the strait and grant the effort to secure the passageway international legitimacy.
The change in rhetoric comes shortly after some of the countries from the joint statement, such as Italy, criticized the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Just last week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the war with Iran as “outside” international law. In remarks to Italy’s Parliament, she distanced Italy from the war, saying it was “an intervention that Italy is not part of and does not intend to take part in.”
TRUMP ALLY GIORGIA MELONI CONDEMNS IRAN STRIKES AS ‘OUTSIDE’ INTERNATIONAL LAW
French President Emmanuel Macron was similarly critical of the war, saying it was “outside of international law” and that France “cannot approve of” the U.S. strikes.
Europe has been particularly affected by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to its increasing reliance on liquefied natural gas from Qatar. It leaned heavily into this supply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hoping to reduce its reliance on Russian energy imports.