Trump’s war is not going as smoothly as the US President had hoped.Image: keystone
In the Iran war, US President Donald Trump is urging NATO allies and China to help secure oil shipments in the important Strait of Hormuz.
Mar 16, 2026, 3:41 a.mMar 16, 2026, 3:41 a.m
NATO will face a “very bad” future if the US partners do not help, said Trump in a short interview with the Financial Times. If there is “no response or if the response is negative, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” Trump was quoted as saying.
In this context, Trump also mentioned China in an eight-minute conversation. Like Europe, Beijing is heavily dependent on oil from the Gulf region, unlike the USA, Trump was quoted as saying. He could postpone a summit with President Xi Jinping planned in China this month. It was “only appropriate that those who benefit from the strait help ensure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said.
There was initially no reaction from Beijing to Trump’s statement that, in addition to the USA, other states could also send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz safe and open. Trump had written on his Truth Social platform that “hopefully” China, France, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain and other countries would send warships.
Shipping traffic in the strait, which is very important for the transport of oil and liquefied natural gas, has virtually come to a standstill due to the threat of Iranian attacks.
Trump: “Whatever it takes”
When asked by the Financial Times what kind of help he expected, Trump replied: “Whatever it takes.” He added that the allies should send minesweepers, of which Europe has many more than the USA. The US President was also quoted as saying that he wanted to “take out people who would eliminate some malicious actors on the (Iranian) coast.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had already rejected a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. For him, there is currently “no reason to think about securing sea routes militarily,” he said. Germany is not part of this war “and we don’t want to be,” he emphasized. (sda/dpa/con)