EU leaders reject military involvement in Strait of Hormuz amid war on Iran

Pushback comes as US President Donald Trump says NATO allies should help secure key waterway amid soaring oil prices.

European leaders have rejected demands by United States President Donald Trump ⁠to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as foreign ministers from the European Union gathered in Brussels to discuss skyrocketing oil prices during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday said Berlin had no intention of joining military operations during the conflict.

“We expect from the US and Israel to inform us, to include us into what they’re doing there and to tell us if these goals are achieved,” he told reporters before the meeting in Brussels.

“Once we have a clear picture of that, we believe we need to move into the next phase, namely, defining a security architecture for this entire region, together with the neighbouring states,” he said.

Wadephul added that NATO had not made any decision on assuming responsibilities in the Strait of Hormuz after Trump on Sunday called for a naval coalition to deploy warships to secure the key Gulf waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments transit.