Iran announced Thursday that it would restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to just 15 vessels per day – a move that threatens to further destabilize an already fragile global energy market. At the same time, President Donald Trump issued a pointed ultimatum to European nations, demanding immediate military contributions to the region and making clear that "political commitments are no longer sufficient," with sanctions threatened against allies who refuse to fall in line.
The world economy's bottleneck
Russia's TASS (the Kremlin-affiliated state news agency) cited a senior Iranian official Thursday who said that under the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States, Iran would cap traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at 15 vessels per day.
The strait, just 34 kilometers (21 miles) wide and separating Iran from Oman, is the main passage from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply and critical goods pass through it. Since the war began in late February, Iran has largely kept the strait closed, triggering a sharp spike in global oil prices.
Trump's demands of NATO
As the agreement takes shape, US President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on his European partners. According to information obtained by Der Spiegel, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte briefed European capitals that Trump expects concrete commitments – within days – to deploy warships or other military assets to the strait. European diplomats described the demand as an "ultimatum," making clear that political statements of support, issued since the war broke out, no longer satisfy the administration in Washington.
Germany expressed a general willingness to join a joint mission in the Strait, but the government is insisting on certain conditions, including a UN mandate and a durable ceasefire. Yet Trump's demands extend beyond operational requirements. According to reports in the United States, the president has ordered the preparation of a list of NATO member states that backed him in the war against Iran versus those that opposed him. Trump has threatened to withdraw American forces from countries that show resistance, with Spain on that list after it refused to allow US fighter jets and refueling aircraft through its airspace.
Despite Germany not having imposed restrictions on the use of American bases on its soil, the White House has flagged the Berlin government as opposed to the war. The tension centers on a remark by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius that the military campaign was "not our war" – a quote that Washington immediately attributed to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Although Merz took a more diplomatic line, the Trump administration sees Germany as failing to fully align with the American war effort.
