Europe Indirectly Criticizes Trump's Counter-Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

Trump Says "Many Countries Will Help Us" the Day Before
Contrary to Expectations, Allies Reluctant to Support Counter-Blockade

Oil tanker passing through the Hormuz Strait. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The United States has implemented a "counter-blockade" against Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, yet key allies are maintaining their distance and remaining silent.

According to The New York Times on April 13 (local time), after the U.S. military began its counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, several countries have remained silent on the issue.

Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview regarding the counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, "I believe many countries will help us on this matter." This statement expressed both expectations and pressure for allied nations to provide support in various forms if the U.S. military proceeds with the counter-blockade.

Major allied countries have responded with indirect criticism of the U.S. counter-blockade proposal. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated in a BBC Radio interview, "In my view, it is extremely important to keep the Strait of Hormuz completely open, and we have been working towards that."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also said that he has not received a request to support the counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and emphasized that this is a time when de-escalation is necessary. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles called it a "nonsensical measure," criticizing it as "another event in the vicious cycle the world is falling into."

Some point out that the U.S. counter-blockade strategy is not effective in changing Iran's stance. Professor Ahmet Kasim Han, an international relations scholar at TED University in Ankara, Türkiye, said, "The Iranian regime has shown its willingness to endure several blows," and argued that the counter-blockade strategy is being overestimated.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in the United Arab Emirates, criticized Iran for its responsibility in the region's turmoil, but also commented that the U.S. counter-blockade "has made the situation even more complicated," adding, "The situation was already complex, and this blockade has made it even more difficult."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.