President Donald Trump said on March 16 that several nations will send warships to join the U.S. Navy in escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but expressed disappointment that several key NATO “big boys,” notably the UK and Germany, have not responded to his call for a joint operation.
“Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” he said at a Kennedy Center luncheon. “Some are very enthusiastic about it. Some are in countries that we’ve helped for many, many years.”
The president said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had denied his request for the UK to send two aircraft carriers to the Arabian Sea or the eastern Mediterranean.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been more cooperative, he said, and has dispatched an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean. This has allowed the USS Gerald Ford to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea to focus on the Strait.
“I have spoken to him,“ Trump said. ”He’s been, on a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight.”
Today, a reporter said Macron will never help until the hostilities are over. Trump responded, “Well, he’ll be out of office very soon, so we’ll have to see.”
“We don’t need any help… we’ve wiped out their navy… their air force is now decimated.” President Trump says Iran’s military has been dismantled while questioning NATO’s lack of support. He added that despite all the help the US has given them, they don’t want to help, and the US can go it alone.
Who’s War?
Trump said NATO agreed with the attack on Iran, never said don’t do it, but don’t want to help.
Trump did say he wanted them to do more to fund and assist in the Ukraine-Russia war, but never stopped the funding or the weapons. That wasn’t our war. It’s the war Europe wanted.
This might come back to haunt them. The US might well go it alone as usual, though I think the US has the support of the Gulf States—we’ll see.
So far, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan have all said they won’t help. The Strait isn’t a big loss for the US, but it is for Asia and Europe, and the global economy.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. President Trump just EVISCERATED American “allies” refusing to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz, openly MOCKS them
“Do you have any minesweepers? ‘Well, we’d rather NOT get involved, sir!’ I said, you mean for 40 YEARS we’re protecting YOU and you don’t… pic.twitter.com/PdzEt8hIT5
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 16, 2026
CENTCOM continues to destroy Iranian targets.
U.S. forces continue to hunt and destroy Iranian targets that pose threats to Americans and Iran’s neighbors. pic.twitter.com/FuQLx9rCiK
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2026
The USA helped Ukraine with many Billions of dollars, yet Ukraine is not even part of NATO.
But now NATO is refusing to help the USA.
Who needs allies like that ?