U.S. President Donald Trump insists American allies are ready to help him in the Strait of Hormuz. They¡¯re not even close.
The U.K. and France are holding a summit on Friday to discuss the matter as Trump blockades the crucial shipping passage off Iran¡¯s coast. But little progress has been made on forming a naval mission and allies don¡¯t want to deploy assets until there¡¯s a permanent ceasefire, according to European officials familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to describe private discussions.
Thus far, talks have focused more on diplomatic efforts to resolve the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran than military solutions, one of the officials added, even as Washington presses for specific naval commitments. The U.K. and France also still don¡¯t fully agree with each other on how a naval effort might work, another said, including what role the U.S. might play.
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