Trump Calls on Allies to Protect Strait of Hormuz, Gets Rejected, Threatens to Reconsider NATO Relations

President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of alliances. Two weeks after declaring war on Iran, he is now seeking to build a coalition.

Faced with Tehran successfully cutting off oil and natural gas tanker traffic through this vital shipping route—an strategy that has caused global energy prices to soar—Trump is appealing to multiple countries for help in protecting the Strait of Hormuz. He has sharply criticized countries like the UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea for their reluctance. He also reiterated his longstanding dissatisfaction with NATO defense alliances, hinting on Tuesday that he might reconsider the U.S. relationship with its allies without congressional approval.

However, days of requests seem to have yielded little concrete assistance, as countries are unwilling to join Trump’s conflict without their input, especially since the conflict is very unpopular in their nations. European countries are still recovering from Trump’s attempt in January to seize Greenland from Danish control—an action some fear could involve a U.S. military invasion—and Trump’s image among European voters is increasingly negative.

Trump’s views differ; he said the U.S. helped Europe when the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022, but Europeans have left Washington isolated during the Persian Gulf energy crisis.

“We helped Ukraine, but they don’t help with Iran,” Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office during a joint statement with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. “You would think they’d say, ‘We’re happy to send a few minesweepers.’ It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t cost much. But they didn’t do that. So, you know, I think that’s very unfair to America, not to me, but to America.”

When asked whether he is reconsidering the U.S. relationship with NATO, Trump did not answer directly, only saying he doesn’t need congressional approval—something he previously mentioned when discussing the possibility of withdrawing from NATO, which would essentially dismantle the security umbrella Europe has relied on since World War II.

Trump said that a thorough overhaul of the relationship with NATO “is certainly something we should consider.”

Efforts by Iran to attack ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz have caused global energy prices to spike. In the U.S., gasoline prices are 30% higher than a month ago—posing a significant political threat to Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

The White House stated that the price increases are a temporary effect of what Trump calls a “expedition,” and that prices will fall below pre-war levels once Iranian oil flows back into the global market.

Since Iran attacked ships transiting the strait, the transportation of oil, natural gas, and fertilizers has largely stalled. In Europe, Washington’s allies are not only dealing with soaring global oil prices but also facing rising natural gas prices—something the U.S., as the world’s largest producer, has not experienced. Rising energy costs could slow economic growth and cause European inflation to outpace that of the U.S.