Seven US allies signed a joint statement Thursday expressing support for a potential coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, marking a diplomatic shift after days of public refusals. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada all signed the statement, which condemns Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping and expresses a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage. However, the statement contains no commitment to send ships or any other military assets. Multiple signatories made clear any military involvement would only come after a ceasefire.
How the Statement Came Together
The UK drove the process. NATO Secretary General Marc Rutte joined the effort, and on Thursday morning, Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and convinced him to lift his opposition to the political statement of support, while leaving discussion of practical steps for later. Japan joined at the last minute ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s meeting with Trump at the White House. Canada confirmed its participation after the initial statement was released, becoming the seventh signatory. (Axios, CBC News)
What the Statement Actually Says
The statement condemns in the strongest terms Iran’s attacks on unarmed commercial vessels, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait by Iranian forces. It calls on Iran to cease immediately its threats, mine-laying, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping. The signatories expressed readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage and welcomed preparatory planning.
What It Does Not Say
The gap between the statement’s language and actual military commitment is significant. Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the statement should not be seen as a war mission and insisted there would be no entry into Hormuz without a truce and a comprehensive multilateral initiative with a UN legal framework. Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said any involvement would depend on the situation after a ceasefire and would require parliamentary approval. France and Germany had previously publicly ruled out sending naval vessels during the war. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed the UK would not be drawn into the wider war, though he confirmed the UK was discussing with the US and European allies the possibility of using its mine-hunting drones already in the region.
China, India and Pakistan have independently secured arrangements with Iran to ensure safe passage of their own tankers through the strait, without signing any coalition statement.
What the UK Is Actually Doing
The UK is the only signatory taking immediate concrete steps. London has sent a small number of additional military planners to US Central Command to help with planning and option development. The UK navy has also dispatched two warships to the region to be ready to join a potential joint effort to reopen the Strait. India is sending ships to protect its own shipping, and the UAE said it is also considering deploying vessels. (Axios, Al Jazeera)
Expert Reaction
Quincy Institute vice president Trita Parsi was direct in his assessment. “Under normal circumstances, you build a coalition before you go to war, not afterwards. Trump started an unnecessary war that none of these other countries supported or were consulted about. Now they’re paying the price for it, and then being asked to come in and bail Trump out.” Experts also noted that European nations are wary of committing additional military assets while replenishing stocks depleted by transfers to Ukraine. (The National)
Why This Matters to You
The Strait of Hormuz remains the central strategic and economic crisis of this war. Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities across the Gulf on Thursday. An Iranian drone hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea that Saudi Arabia had been using as an alternative exit route, targeting a bypass specifically created to avoid the Hormuz closure. Every day the Strait stays closed, the economic pressure on households and businesses deepens. Gas, heating, groceries and manufactured goods all become more expensive the longer this continues.
Thursday’s statement is a diplomatic step, but it is not a solution. It is worth thinking about: If France and Germany will only contribute after a ceasefire, and a ceasefire requires the Strait to be open first, is the coalition statement actually breaking the deadlock or simply describing it? With China, India and Pakistan cutting their own separate deals with Iran for safe passage, are US allies signing a statement while other major powers secure practical arrangements? And with the UK the only nation sending actual military planners to CENTCOM, are the other six signatories prepared to follow through when the time comes?
-Elijah Iraheta, Editor in Chief, ASC News
