European Union foreign ministers rejected Donald Trump's request for help in securing the Strait of Hormuz, deeming it an American problem.

During closed-door discussions in Brussels, diplomats from all 27 member states refused to expand the mandate of the naval mission "Aspides." EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stated: "There was no willingness to change the mandate. Europe has no interest in an endless war. This is not a European war, but European interests are directly threatened."

Trump had previously warned through the Financial Times that refusal would be "very bad for the future of NATO." He also expressed dissatisfaction with the British response when Prime Minister Starmer said Britain would not be drawn into a "wider war."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius responded sharply: "The Americans, together with the Israelis, chose this path." Chancellor Friedrich Merz refused Berlin's participation, stating: "NATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one. NATO has absolutely no place here."

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was direct: "Don't ask us to send military forces." The blockade follows the US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran on February 28, which killed Iran's supreme leader, triggering Iranian retaliation. About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait, and prices exceeded $100 per barrel.