PARIS – More than a dozen countries have signalled willingness to join an international naval mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow, a British government statement said on April 17, even as US President Donald Trump insisted he does not need allies’ help.
The offer emerged during a video conference co‑chaired by France and Britain, which brought together some 50 countries from Europe, Asia and the Middle East to coordinate messaging and planning on maritime security. The talks followed earlier military‑planning sessions and were also intended to signal to Washington that European and regional partners backed a rules‑based approach rather than unilateral pressures.
Iran, which has largely blocked the strait to non‑Iranian vessels since the start of US‑Israeli airstrikes on February 28, declared on April 17 that it was ready to open the waterway. However, Washington responded on April 13 by imposing its own naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, while urging other countries to assist enforcement. President Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO allies for their reluctance and said he told NATO to stay away from the operation, even as European leaders argued that joining the blockade would amount to taking part in the war.
Instead, Britain, France and several partners have pivoted to a framework for a future, strictly defensive mission to keep the strait open once hostilities subside or a lasting ceasefire is in place. French President Emmanuel Macron said the Paris talks allowed countries to send a unified demand for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one‑fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows. “We all oppose any restriction, anything that would amount, in effect, to an attempt to privatise the strait, and obviously any toll system,” he told reporters.
Macron added that some of France’s naval assets currently deployed in the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea could be used for the mission. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that a military‑planning conference in London next week would flesh out the force’s composition and that more than a dozen nations have already offered to contribute military or logistical assets. The initiative, for now, does not formally include the US or Iran, though European diplomats acknowledge that any realistic mission would eventually need coordination with both.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany is prepared to contribute to the effort, describing US involvement as “desirable” and emphasising that the issue should not become a major stress test for transatlantic relations. Several officials noted that the mission may not be needed if the situation in the Strait of Hormuz stabilises and commercial shipping resumes under normal conditions. However, others expect that shippers and insurers could request a temporary multinational deployment during a transitional phase to restore confidence.
A senior French official said the mission could involve intelligence sharing, mine‑clearance capabilities, military escorts for commercial vessels, joint information‑sharing procedures with neighbouring states and other coordination measures. “The objective is clear, and the resources deployed will naturally depend on the situation,” the official said.