US President Donald Trump pressed European allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil and gas shipments, and the request dominated discussion at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Many member states pushed back, saying they do not want NATO involved and are unwilling to send troops to the waterway while active hostilities continue.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas opened the talks by saying it is in the bloc’s interest to keep the strait open and that the EU was exploring what measures it could take and was in contact with US officials. By the end of the session, however, she reported there was no appetite among member states to expand the EU’s maritime mission to the Strait of Hormuz for now.
Several ministers expressed concern that joining a maritime security operation would make their forces potential targets for Iran. Charles Hecker, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said Europeans feared being drawn directly into the US and Israeli campaign against Iran and were unclear about the aims of that campaign.
Trump intensified pressure over the weekend, arguing that countries benefiting from the free flow of energy through the strait should help protect it. He warned that a failure to respond could have consequences for the future of NATO and singled out France and the United Kingdom, urging them to participate. Analysts doubt France or the UK will deploy forces while the most intense fighting is ongoing. France has said it would consider helping once the hottest phase of the conflict subsides, while Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said he did not see a role for NATO in securing the strait unless NATO bodies decided otherwise.
Beyond the security risks, European leaders are grappling with the immediate economic fallout. The blockade and related attacks have driven up energy prices across the continent, compounding an already fraught energy situation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that, since the start of the conflict, gas prices had risen about 50% and oil by roughly 27%, and that Europeans had paid an extra €3 billion for fossil fuel imports in 10 days of fighting. She warned that Europe remains structurally disadvantaged because it is neither a major oil nor gas producer and relies on expensive, volatile imports.
To ease price pressure, several EU members, along with other G7 countries, supported an emergency release of oil from strategic reserves. The International Energy Agency has called for the release of up to 400 million barrels from emergency stocks. At the same time, EU leaders cautioned against reversing long-term policies aimed at reducing dependency on Russian fossil fuels, even as the Iran conflict risks boosting Russian energy revenues.
Russia has already been positioned to benefit from higher global prices. As oil climbed to levels not seen since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow emphasized its role as a dependable supplier. Kremlin officials framed the situation as proof that Russia remains a reliable source of oil and gas, a message that worries Europeans who fear extra revenue could help Moscow sustain or escalate its war in Ukraine. The US briefly eased some restrictions to allow certain buyers, including India, a temporary exemption to purchase Russian oil, a step aimed at moderating prices.
Security equipment and defenses are also under strain. European officials noted a direct impact of the Gulf fighting on Ukraine: air-defense assets that Europe and the US would typically deploy to help Kyiv, such as Patriot missile systems, are being shifted to the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Gulf saw more Patriot use in the first days of Iranian strikes than Ukraine has seen since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
To ease that burden, Ukraine has offered Gulf states its indigenous anti-drone technologies and counter-drone systems. Ukrainian experts have extensive experience intercepting the kinds of drones Iran and its proxies have used, and supplying these systems could reduce demand for Patriot interceptors in the Gulf, freeing more Western interceptors and munitions for Ukraine’s defense, according to analysts such as Rafael Loss of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
EU ministers also discussed the broader geopolitical consequences, including the possibility that the conflict will strengthen Russia by increasing its fossil fuel revenues. Hecker summed up the view held by some in Brussels, saying that, for now, the main beneficiary of the Iran war appears to be Russia.
In short, European leaders acknowledge the strategic importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open but are reluctant to commit forces or expand NATO’s role while the conflict remains active. Their priorities for the moment are protecting citizens and infrastructure, mitigating energy price shocks, and preventing a wider regional escalation that could further destabilize Europe and Ukraine.