Trump urges Nato to help with the Strait of Hormuz - and threatens

NATO will face a "very bad" future if US partners do not help, Trump said in a short interview with the Financial Times. If there is "no response or if the response is negative, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO", Trump was quoted as saying.

In this context, Trump also mentioned China in an eight-minute conversation. Like Europe, Beijing is heavily dependent on oil from the Gulf region, unlike the USA, Trump was quoted as saying. He could postpone a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping planned for this month in China. It is "only appropriate that those who benefit from the Strait help to ensure that nothing bad happens there", Trump continued.

There was initially no reaction from Beijing to Trump's statement that other countries besides the USA could also send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz safe and open. Trump had written on his Truth Social platform that "hopefully" China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other countries would send warships.

Shipping traffic in the strait, which is very important for the transportation of oil and liquid gas, has practically come to a standstill due to the threat of Iranian attacks.

Trump: "Whatever it takes"

When asked by the Financial Times exactly what help he expected, Trump replied: "Whatever it takes". He added that the allies should send minesweepers, of which Europe has many more than the USA. He also wanted "people to take out some bad actors on the (Iranian) coast", the US president was further quoted as saying.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. At the moment, he said, there was "no reason to think about securing the sea routes militarily". Germany was not part of this war "and we don't want to be", he emphasized.