War Secretary Pete Hegseth openly derided Europe’s slow-moving efforts to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, dismissing a recent gathering to discuss possibilities as a “silly conference.”
Speaking to reporters on the status of events around Iran, Hegseth was asked if any European countries had offered assistance in reopening the strait, such as contributing escort vessels.
“I know there’s a lot of talks,” Hegseth responded. “You saw the, I would call it, silly conference in Europe last week, where they got together and talked about, talking about maybe doing something. Those are not serious efforts, yet.”
Hegseth added that Washington would welcome “a serious European effort to do something about this strait… considering it’s their energy capabilities that are most tested.”
He described the blockade as a “wake-up call” for countries around the world, showing that nations either have the capability to act on the world stage or they don’t.
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“The only country that can do something about it is the United States,” Hegseth said.
On Wednesday, military planners from 30 countries met in London to outline possible military ways to open the Strait of Hormuz, but no concrete forces have been devoted as of yet. Europe’s failure to provide military forces to help clear the strait enraged President Donald Trump and further embittered him against NATO.