US President Donald Trump has suggested that NATO should be involved in guarding the Strait of Hormuz, but Britain and Germany disagree.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the war in the Middle East, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, "has nothing to do with NATO" and "is not a NATO war."
"NATO is an alliance for territorial defense and in the current situation there is no mandate for NATO deployment," Stefan Cornelius said at a regular press conference.
At the same time, German Foreign Minister Johann Vandevoll said that Germany does not believe that NATO has any role in addressing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
"I don't see NATO having made any decisions in this regard or being able to take responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz. If that were the case, then NATO bodies would deal with it accordingly," the German Foreign Minister said.
Vandeful also asked for more information from the US and Israel about the future course of the war against Iran. “First of all, it will be important for the US and Israel to clarify when they consider the military objectives of their operation to be achieved. We need more clarity on that,” he said.
For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in statements that the plan to reopen the Strait is not a NATO mission. “I would like to be clear: it will not be, and was never intended to be, a NATO mission. It has to be an alliance of partners, and that is why we are working with partners both in Europe and in the Gulf and with the US. It is important that we continue to do this. It is not simple,” the British Prime Minister explained.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump increased pressure on European allies to help defend the Strait and warned that NATO faces a "very bad" future if its members do not help Washington.
