Now Trump is asking for help to "liberate" the Strait of Hormuz and is threatening reluctant allies: mystery surrounding the seven countries "called" by the U.S. president

On the night of March 15 and 16, 2026, aboard Air Force One returning from Florida, the President of the United States Donald Trump issued a warning to international partners: Washington has asked “about seven countries” to form a naval coalition to patrol the boiling waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The declared objective: to escort commercial traffic and to reopen global energy corridors.

For now, however, the foreign response has translated into caution, denials, and hesitations. The message from the White House is unequivocal: the United States no longer intends to bear the full burden of security in an area from which it is increasingly less dependent.

The numbers confirm it: in 2024, only between 7 and 9% of the crude oil imported by the USA came from the Persian Gulf, a historic low in decades, aided by the increase in domestic production.

Although Washington is not immune to global effects on fuel prices and inflation, its physical dependence is now minimal compared to other powers.

In Trump's view, the burden of security must primarily fall on those who rely on Middle Eastern oil. The main target is Beijing. The president stated before reporters that China depends on “about 90%” of the crude that passes through the Strait, even suggesting the postponement of an upcoming trip to Asia to increase diplomatic pressure.

A percentage that many observers consider “media-driven”: in 2025, China imported about 55% of its needs from the Gulf, equivalent to 6.4 million barrels per day, in addition to crucial volumes of liquefied natural gas from Qatar.

However, China's energy vulnerability remains extremely high. The Dragon has not joined a U.S.-led mission; on the contrary, it continues to call for “de-escalation” and relies on strategic reserves estimated at over one billion barrels to safeguard its growth target.

The brakes on the coalition do not come only from rivals. Even long-standing allies show reluctance. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer shares the urgency of unlocking navigation but maintains a marked reluctance towards direct military involvement, limiting himself to moves on the political and legal front: a detachment that Trump has publicly "noted."

France, through Emmanuel Macron, adopts a more proactive but alternative approach: Paris pushes for a “purely defensive” European mission, to be launched when the “hottest phase” is over, effectively rejecting a U.S.-led command.

At the same time, the European Union is evaluating risk coverage instruments to curb the surge in insurance premiums, which skyrocketed to levels four to six times higher in just one week after drone and missile attacks and threats of Iranian-origin naval mines.

In Asia, the “energy triage” prevails. Highly exposed countries like Japan and South Korea maintain a low profile, assess options “on a case-by-case basis”, and prepare “Plan B” for alternative routes and supplies, avoiding potentially divisive military commitments on the home front. Even India, penalized by the spike in its own “crude basket” above 85 dollars a barrel, is studying exclusively armed escorts for ships flying the national flag, carefully avoiding the word “coalition”.

The Hormuz Strait remains the planet's vital tap: under normal conditions, about 20% of the world's oil trade (20-21 million barrels per day) and a similar share of global LNG passes through it.

Yet, the deployment of foreign naval forces in such an explosive quadrant is burdened by significant obstacles: fears of an exclusively American command and control, absence of codified rules of engagement, and, above all, the extremely high risk of acting as a multiplier for military escalation in waters close to the Iran.

At the moment, Donald Trump's call for “seven flags” remains a paper exercise: the shared necessity of ensuring safe passage clashes with the political and legal calculations of each government.