Secretary of State Marco Rubio is urging key U.S. allies to treat the Iran War and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz as their concern as well, criticizing European leaders who have labeled the conflict “not Europe’s war” while the United States continues to commit resources to other fronts.
Rubio’s comments came on Thursday after a C-SPAN reporter asked whether he would request assistance from the United States’ core Group of Seven (G7) allies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, to help with the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio answered that it is in those allies’ “interest to help,” arguing that “the other countries get far more of their fuel from there than we do,” and he said any specific form of assistance would be left to the Justice Department while emphasizing that support would serve their “national interests.”
The reporter also asked Rubio about President Donald Trump’s Thursday criticism of NATO, in which Trump called the alliance a “paper tiger” that had done “absolutely nothing.”
Rubio described those remarks as an “observation,” saying the United States is “constantly being asked to help in a war” and “we have more than any other country in the world on a war that’s happening in another continent in Ukraine.”
He added that when the United States “had a need,” Trump “didn’t get positive responses,” and he said “a couple leaders in Europe” had said the Iran War was “not Europe’s war,” while noting that “Ukraine is not America’s war and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country in the world,” something he said the president would have to consider “down the road.”
The exchange underscored an evolving split among European allies.
Reuters reported on March 16 that Germany, Spain, and Italy had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, while Britain and Denmark signaled openness to limited assistance but stressed de-escalation and the avoidance of a wider war.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, "This is not our war, we have not started it."
By March 19, Reuters reported that Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and other countries had signed a joint statement saying they were ready to join appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which the text says about 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas supply normally passes, has been effectively shuttered since the Iran War began on Feb. 28, elevating oil prices across global markets.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations announced Wednesday that it would allow “safe passage” to non-hostile vessels that “neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations.”
During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump described what he called a “present” from Iran as evidence that he is negotiating with Iranian officials, referring to permitted oil shipments sent through the Strait.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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