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BERLIN\/BRUSSELS\/LONDON: Several U.S. allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the \u200bvital waterway open.<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to \u200ceffectively close the channel for tankers that normally transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.<\/p>\n Germany, Spain and Italy were among allies that ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, at least for now. Other countries were more circumspect, with Britain and Denmark saying they would consider ways they might help, but emphasising a need to de-escalate and avoid getting dragged into the war.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does (\u2026) Donald \u200bTrump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful U.S. Navy cannot do?\u201d German \u200bDefence Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin on Monday, as he downplayed threats by Trump that failing to come to Washington\u2019s aid \u2060could have consequences for the NATO alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not our war, we have not started it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The conflict has nothing to do with NATO and Germany \u200bhas no plans to be drawn into it, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said.<\/p>\n \u201cNeither the United States nor Israel consulted us before the war, and \u2026 Washington explicitly stated at the outset \u200bof the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Spain said it would not do anything that could escalate the conflict, while Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said sending military ships to a war zone would be interpreted as joining the conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cItaly is not at war with anyone and sending military ships in a war zone would mean entering \u200bthe war,\u201d Salvini told reporters in Milan.<\/p>\n NATO countries, several of whom have been at the sharp end of criticism from Trump in recent months, are wary of angering \u200bthe White House, and some signalled willingness to help find a solution, even if plans remain vague for now.<\/p>\n EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was in talks with the \u200cUnited Nations \u2060about replicating a deal that had been used to allow grain to be exported out of Ukraine during its war with Russia.<\/p>\n EU DISCUSSING MANDATE OF RED SEA MISSION<\/strong><\/p>\n The EU is also discussing whether it could change the mandate of its Middle East naval mission, Aspides, which currently protects ships in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebel group, to include the Strait of Hormuz, Kallas said.<\/p>\n But Greece, which leads the Aspides mission, will limit its participation in the Middle East to the Red Sea, said \u200bgovernment spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, \u200bwhose reluctance to help the initial \u2060U.S. attacks drew sharp criticism from Trump, said Britain would work with allies on a collective plan to secure freedom of navigation through the strait.<\/p>\n But he said this would not be easy, and he reiterated that the UK would not be drawn into a \u200bwider war. Britain has autonomous mine-hunting systems that could be used, Starmer said.<\/p>\n Denmark, traditionally one of the most enthusiastic NATO allies but \u200bwhich has clashed with \u2060Trump over his demands that it cede Greenland, said the EU should consider helping reopen the strait even if it didn\u2019t agree with the war.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if we don\u2019t like what\u2019s going on, I think it\u2019s wise to keep an open mind on whether Europe \u2026 in some way can contribute, but with a view towards de-escalation,\u201d Danish Foreign Minister Lars \u2060Lokke Rasmussen said.<\/p>\n Dutch \u200bForeign Minister Tom Berendsen said that were NATO to agree any mission in the Gulf it \u200bwould take time to draw up a framework.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are weighty decisions, and any action must be both feasible and impactful. At this moment, no decision is on the table,\u201d Berendsen said on Monday in Brussels.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n