Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth harshly condemned U.S. allies on Friday, suggesting that reopening the Strait of Hormuz “should not be America’s fight alone,” amid the disruption prompted by President Donald Trump’s war against Iran. (Watch clip above.)
“Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free riding is over,” Hegseth said. “America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal, and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street. It’s a two-way street.”
He added, “We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat.”
Hegseth also dismissed a multinational effort led by the U.K. and France to reopen the strait once the war is over, apparently calling last week’s Paris summit, chaired by Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, a “silly conference.”
“Those are not serious efforts yet,” the secretary said. “We would welcome a serious European effort to do something about this strait and this passage, considering it’s their energy capabilities that are most at stake.”
