US President Donald Trump speaks during a Working Breakfast with Governors at the White House in Washington, DC on February 20, 2026. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)President Donald Trump on Monday demanded US allies join an effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as European powers ruled out a NATO mission to reopen the vital waterway shut by Iran during the Middle East war. “We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm,” Trump told reporters at a White House event. “The level of enthusiasm matters to me.”NATO allies and other Western nations pushed back earlier on Trump’s call, made at the weekend, for military hardware. We will not do so.”Japan, Australia, Poland, Spain, Greece and Sweden also all distanced themselves from any military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Punch March 16, 2026 22:31 UTC