Poland refused to send a Patriot missile system to the Middle East at Washington's request, which had sought the relocation of a battery along with PAC-3 MSE missiles already in Polish possession.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said: "Our Patriot batteries and armaments serve to protect Polish airspace and NATO's eastern flank. Nothing changes on this matter and we do not plan to relocate them anywhere."

Deputy Minister Cezary Tomczyk added that Polish Patriot systems remain in Poland with a mission to defend the country and NATO's eastern flank. Presidential office chief Zbigniew Bogucki stressed that Poland fulfills its NATO obligations as an eastern border state, highlighting the significant burden of armaments and the border situation with Belarus.

Since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, Iran has blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which roughly 20 percent of global oil and 30 percent of liquefied gas normally passes. Trump appealed to allies for naval support, but most European countries responded skeptically.