BRUSSELS: European countries on Monday sought more details about US President Donald Trump’s plans for the war on Iran and warned that NATO must not become involved in it, as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Arabian Gulf.
The cool response to Trump’s demand reflects wide caution about the US-Israeli war among allies kept in the dark before, and largely since, it was launched on Feb. 28.
Trump has asked partners — including France, China, Japan, South Korea and Britain — to help secure the Strait of Hormuz for global shipping. He said the United States was talking to “about seven” countries, but he wouldn’t say which ones and gave no indication of when such a coalition might be formed.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Britain “will not be drawn into the wider war,” and said British troops should only be sent into action that is legal and has “a proper thought-through plan.” But his country is considering other forms of help in conjunction with allies.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump also warned that “if there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
