Europe wary of US naval plan in Strait of Hormuz

The United States has spent months trying to establish an international naval coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime artery under threat. However, Washington's European allies, including the UK and France, which previously agreed to lead such a mission if a sustainable ceasefire were reached, are now hesitating, even as disruptions at the key waterway strain the global economy.

Analysts say the stalled coalition effort reflects deep European caution about being drawn into an unpredictable conflict they neither initiated nor support, especially without clear backing from Gulf partners.

“Neither the UK nor France has much appetite for being dragged into a confrontation with Iran to benefit others, especially when there's no clear regional demand for it,” HA Hellyer, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and the Center for American Progress, told Al Jazeera.

UK, US ‘aligned’ on Hormuz?

The US first floated the idea of an international naval coalition to ensure maritime safety in the strait in March, when President Donald Trump called on allies and China to send warships. Most countries initially declined or remained uncommitted, though the UK and France left the door open.

US officials continued to push the idea as Washington's war against Iran dragged on, with Trump criticizing NATO allies for what he called insufficient support in the conflict. In mid-April, then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for the UK and France to lead an international mission to secure safe passage through the strait, stressing it would be “entirely peaceful and defensive.”

The following month, the UK Ministry of Defence pledged drones, fighter jets, and a warship to the mission, saying it had the support of dozens of countries and would begin “when conditions allow.” But months later, the effort appears stuck, despite UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting insisting his country was “fully aligned” with the US on “ensuring freedom of navigation and commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”

A European diplomatic source said that after the joint UK-French initiative for a multinational mission for “freedom of navigation” in the strait, a new meeting with more than 30 countries “at technical level” was held on Thursday. A UK defence spokesperson said Streeting expected further discussions on “planning and coordination for a future multinational mission,” while stressing that “the operation remains dependent on conditions on the ground and a sustainable political agreement.”

Mission ‘deliberately limited’

Hellyer argued that the naval coalition in Hormuz has been delayed “because politics never matched the rhetoric.” He said that while the UK and France may support freedom of navigation in principle, they find it very difficult to lead a campaign that key Gulf partners are not actively backing. Neither country wants to be seen as “imposing a security architecture that regional governments consider unnecessary escalation.”

Amjed Rasheed, a lecturer in defence studies at King's College London, said European participation is likely to be restrained, conditional, and purely defensive. Already facing a closer security threat from Russia on its eastern flank, Europe wants “de-escalation and stability” in the Gulf. “The decision to attack Iran was made in Washington and Tel Aviv; they didn't consult European powers. European powers are neither ready nor willing to be part of a war they had no hand in designing,” he said.

Hellyer believes a “defensive naval presence” in Hormuz with European involvement could still happen, though he doubts a “more robust coalition” will emerge. “I would expect any European mission to remain deliberately limited, focused on reassurance and protecting commercial shipping, rather than developing into a broader security campaign,” he said.

Hormuz, Iran's ‘strategic asset’

The status of the Strait of Hormuz – through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes – has become a major point of contention between the US and Iran in talks to end the conflict. The US insists Iran does not control the strait, saying international law permits free, unimpeded passage. Iran, meanwhile, seeks to consolidate control over the waterway and route ships along corridors it approves.

On Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said a deal with Oman on new traffic management procedures through Hormuz was “on the verge of completion.” Under the expected two-to-four-month agreement, most newly designated shipping lanes would pass through Iranian territorial waters, the rest through Omani waters, and current temporary routes would be closed.

Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University, expressed doubt that the strait's status would return to its pre-war state. “The Iranians have learned that by closing the Strait of Hormuz, they can make the global economy scream. This is a strategic asset, and I don't think they will easily give it up,” he said.