Washington, DC: US president Donald Trump whose recent famous words were that he “can do anything” suddenly finds himself alone, with no country – even NATO members – accepting his request to send warships to escort merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strongest reaction, so far, came from Germany, with the country’s defence minister Boris Pistorius saying: “This is not our war. We did not start it.”
He dismissed Trump’s call, questioning what a limited European deployment could achieve.
What does Trump expect “a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to accomplish in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US Navy there cannot achieve on its own,” he asked in rhetoric.
Trump has recently called upon countries like China, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and the UK to send warships to the region for escort duty in the Strait of Hormuz. This happened after Iran threatened to attack ships belonging to the US, Israel and their allies, if they pass through the narrow, strategic waterway.
On Sunday, Trump has boasted that countries affected by the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz will be sending warships there. This was followed by an appeal to ally nations to join the effort.
“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way – some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years,” Trump told reporters on Monday during a White House event, as reported by Hindustan Times.
China turned down the proposal outright, calling for de-escalation.
China, while not responding directly to Trump’s appeal, has criticised the proposal. The state-run Global Times described it as an attempt by the US to spread the burden of “a war that Washington started and can’t finish.”
Japan and Australia have indicated they are unlikely to send naval vessels. Britain and France said they are assessing possible action but have not committed to any steps before the fighting subsides.
Trump has lent voice to the bitterness he feels at being “deserted” by those he considered his allies.
Singling out NATO members, he claimed they had relied on the US for “tens of billions of dollars” in protection but were now unwilling to step up.
He went on to deliver a pointed warning over the weekend, saying countries that refuse to participate in reopening the Strait of Hormuz “will be remembered.”
The lack of support from NATO allies would be “very bad for the future” of the alliance, Trump said in an interview with Financial Times.
