President Donald Trump wants the world to act quickly to stop Iran from threatening shipping in the Straits of Hormuz. Iran has used mines, drones, and naval harassment to disrupt traffic through the narrow channel between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. About one-fifth of global oil shipments travel through that route, and a shutdown would send fuel costs climbing across the world within days. Trump's message to allies and rivals alike remains simple: help reopen the waterway and keep global commerce moving.
Trump already ordered American forces to strike all remaining Iranian maritime assets and energy facilities tied to the effort to block shipping. U.S. forces destroyed over 30 Iranian mine-laying vessels and carried out strikes against an oil hub on Kharg Island. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supports the campaign and has kept naval forces in the region on alert.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded with warnings that Iran would increase retaliation if attacks continue. Trump still calls on allied navies to join the effort and escort tankers through the strait.
Unfortunately, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius summed up the feelings of European allies.
“This is not our war; we have not started it,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters Monday.
That appeared to sum up the mood among U.S. allies, with leaders from Berlin to London expressing reservations about Trump's demands and indicating they had no immediate plans to provide military support to reopen the crucial waterway.
Though often wary of risking Trump's ire, many European governments have been reluctant to be pulled into the war with Tehran.
Some, such as the leftist government of Spain, outright refused the Hormuz demand.
“Spain will never accept any stopgap measures” to keep the strait open, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said, “because the objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end now.”
Trump has also put pressure on Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping had been expected to meet with Trump soon, but the summit may now be delayed as tensions rise.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the scheduling shift doesn't directly link to the Hormuz crisis. Beijing has warned that recent American tariff moves could damage trade ties.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a key figure in negotiations before the China trip, on Monday morning denied a connection between the Iran operation and Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying that any potential delay would be due to “logistics.”
“If the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr. Bessent told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
Trump has hoped to secure a political win ahead of the midterm elections by striking a deal with China on agricultural purchases. Both sides seek to extend a fragile trade truce after a tumultuous year marked by tensions over Trump’s tariff campaign and Beijing’s restrictions on rare-earth exports. Last month, the president said he hoped the trip would be “the biggest display you’ve ever had in the history of China.”
Beijing has warned that recent American tariff moves could damage trade ties. Trump still wants China to participate in protecting the shipping lane. China depends heavily on oil shipments that pass through the strait, which makes the route critical for Beijing as well.
Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative, said the Chinese side had expressed serious concern about trade investigations into manufacturing in foreign countries that the Trump administration launched after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its earlier tariffs.
“We are concerned that the possible results of such investigations may interfere with or damage the hard-won and stable China-U.S. economic and trade relations,” Li told journalists. He said they discussed the possible extension of tariffs and non-tariff measures on both sides and that China expressed concern over likely uncertainty as the U.S. adjusts its measures. He said both sides agreed to make efforts to keep the tariffs stable.
The meeting was meant to prepare for Trump's planned trip to China in about two weeks, though the president has warned that it could be delayed. Li did not address that and did not take questions.
The global stakes remain enormous; tankers carrying crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and other energy supplies move through the strait every day. Iran's effort to disrupt that traffic threatens energy markets, shipping insurance costs, and economic stability far beyond the Middle East. Trump has framed the situation as a test for the international community. Washington has already taken direct military action, but the administration wants broader participation from allied navies and major powers that depend on the route. Trump continues to argue that securing the Strait protects global trade and prevents Iran from holding energy markets hostage.
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