Chicago – March 16, 2026
Germany has reaffirmed that the escalating confrontation with Iran and tensions over the Strait of Hormuz are not a NATO conflict, underscoring deep European unease over military involvement in the vital waterway.
A spokesperson for Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin that the Middle East war triggered by US‑Israeli strikes on Iran “has nothing to do with NATO” and is “not NATO’s war”, firmly rejecting calls from Washington for alliance participation in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Berlin has also ruled out joining any international naval mission to protect commercial shipping in the strait, arguing that NATO’s mandate is limited to collective defence of member territory and does not cover the current operation.
Other European governments have struck a similarly cautious tone, with EU foreign ministers debating whether to adapt existing naval deployments, such as the Aspides mission in the Red Sea, rather than launching a new, overtly military operation off Iran’s coast.
Several capitals remain noncommittal, reflecting fears that a robust show of force could further escalate the regional war and drag Europe directly into the confrontation.
