Washington: The United States has intensified pressure on European allies, demanding they submit specific plans within days to secure the Strait of Hormuz and enforce navigation through this indispensable global chokepoint, a senior NATO official disclosed.
The urgent request emerged during key discussions at the White House, where President Donald Trump held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as separate meetings at the Pentagon and State Department, the official explained. Queries to the White House, Defence Department, and State Department late on Wednesday night went unanswered, Bloomberg reported.
This push follows pledges from a UK-led coalition comprising more than 40 nations — including numerous European countries, Japan, and Canada — to assist in reopening the strait, through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas flows, once active combat in the Middle East concludes. The ongoing closure has triggered sharp spikes in global energy prices and heightened alarms over potential fuel shortages across economies worldwide.
Just on Tuesday, Trump, Iran, and Israel announced a fragile 14-day ceasefire agreement, explicitly conditioned on the cessation of attacks and the prompt reopening of the strategic waterway. In response, about a dozen mostly European leaders issued a joint statement vowing they would “contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
However, strikes from both Iran and Israel have persisted unabated, rendering the strait effectively closed since the announcement.
Tehran has contended that Israel’s attacks on the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia in Lebanon amount to a clear violation of the ceasefire terms. These developments cast serious doubt on whether the latest US request will galvanise members of the Hormuz coalition to deliver plans swiftly, or if they deem the American timeline of just a few days as realistic amid the volatile security landscape.
