NATO Allies Scramble After Trump's 'Days' Hormuz Ultimatum — Germany Signals Conditional Naval Support; Political Pledges 'No Longer Sufficient'

Following Der Spiegel's April 9-10 report that Trump had given European allies 'days' to commit concrete military support in the Strait of Hormuz — including warship deployments — NATO Secretary General Rutte conveyed to European capitals that political pledges made since the start of the Iran conflict were 'no longer sufficient.' Bloomberg reported that Washington was asking allies to 'pitch plans within days' for securing Hormuz. European allies began responding over the April 11 Easter weekend with cautious signals: Germany indicated conditional willingness to participate in a Hormuz security mission but only with UN approval and after a sustainable ceasefire was in place. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius's earlier characterization of the Iran war as 'not our war' had directly angered Trump. France, which was announcing a €36 billion ($42 billion) defense budget increase (Bloomberg, April 8), also signaled it might consider a post-ceasefire Hormuz role. The ultimatum represented a further escalation of Trump's pressure campaign against NATO allies who had refused to support or facilitate US-Iran military operations. Trump's 'absolutely considering withdrawal' statement and Truth Social post 'NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM' were both prompted specifically by the allied refusal to join the Hormuz operation.