NATO allies refuse to join Trump's Iranian port blockade

Source: Reuters

April 13, 2026 8:36 AM EDT Updated 4 hours ago


PARIS/LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - NATO allies said on Monday they would not get involved in U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to blockade Iranian ports, ​proposing to intervene only once fighting ends, in a move likely to anger Trump and increase strains in the alliance. Trump said the U.S. military ‌would eliminate any Iranian ships that came near the blockade that began on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week conflict with Iran.

Trump initially said the U.S. would work with other countries to block ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. military later specified that the blockade would only apply to ships going to or from Iranian ports. Since ​the war started on February 28, Iran has largely blocked the waterway for all ships but its own. It has been seeking to make its ​control of the strait permanent and possibly collect levies from ships that use it.

"The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be ⁠involved with this Blockade," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. But NATO allies, including Britain and France, said they would not be drawn into ​the conflict by taking part in the blockade, saying instead they were working on an initiative to open the strait, through which a fifth of global oil supplies normally ​passes.

Their refusal to participate is another point of friction with Trump, who has threatened to withdraw from the military alliance and is weighing pulling some U.S. troops from Europe after several countries denied U.S. military planes use of their airspace for attacks on Iran.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-allies-refuse-join-trumps-strait-hormuz-blockade-2026-04-13/