Trump’s brutal ‘cowards’ claim rocks NATO as one major player finally crumbles under US pressure
A very ticky balancing act.
The British government has partially reversed its stance, now allowing the United States military to use UK bases for airstrikes aimed at clearing the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian obstacles. This policy shift was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office just hours after President Donald Trump publicly called European allies “cowards” for their refusal to “help open” the crucial waterway.
Trump had been quite vocal about his frustration, especially after Iran began attacking oil tankers in retaliation to Operation Epic Fury. He’s been pushing hard for allies to step up, and it seems his blunt criticism hit home in London. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial waterway, responsible for a fifth of the world’s oil exports, and it’s been effectively closed by Iran since Trump launched a joint US-Israeli attack on the country back on February 28.
According to the NY Post, London had previously restricted the use of its bases, only permitting US operations if British interests or lives were directly at risk, like when missiles from Tehran targeted UK forces on Cyprus earlier in the conflict. However, the new agreement is much broader.
It seems like Trump’s words really had a strong effect on the UK
Starmer’s office stated that “the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.” It would appear as though the UK Prime Minister has had some serious reservations about this.
The PM reportedly has concerns that the US strikes on Iran might violate international law and that allowing the US to use UK bases could implicate Britain. He’d even argued that it wasn’t in his country’s “national interest” to help the US attack Iran, which makes this policy reversal a pretty significant move.
Earlier on Friday, Trump didn’t mince words, taking to Truth Social to blast the UK and other NATO members. He fumed, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” He went on to criticize their initial reluctance to join the fight against what he called “a nuclear-powered Iran.”
He then tied it directly to the current issue, saying, “Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
The closure of the Strait has already caused a dramatic jump in global fuel prices, with Brent crude nearing $107 per barrel on Friday, up from around $70 just a month ago. This economic impact is a huge concern.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi even told Trump on Thursday that “the global economy is now about to experience a huge hit because of these developments.” Trump had initially tried to entice ships to make the risky voyage with US naval escorts and a new $20 billion reinsurance program, but he found few takers, and several major US allies balked at helping with these escorts.
While the UK has made a definitive move, other allies have been less committal. The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Canada offered a rather vague joint statement on Thursday. They said, “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait” and welcomed “the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”
Meanwhile, the US military is already working to ease the bottleneck. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated on Thursday that new aircraft are being deployed to weaken Iran’s military threat to ships. He specifically mentioned that low-flying A-10 Thunderbolt II jets are “hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz.”
Despite the policy shift, the UK still seems keen to emphasize its commitment to international law and de-escalation. Their statement noted that “Ministers condemned Iran’s expansion of its targets to include international shipping” and agreed that “Iran’s reckless strikes… risked pushing the region further into crisis and worsening the economic impact being felt in the UK and around the world.”
It concluded by stating, “the UK remains committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict.” They also “underlined the need for urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war.”
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