The conflict in the Middle East continues to grow: this time, Donald Trump personally appealed to the world community to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect merchant ships. Interestingly, even their strategic rival, China, was honored with the U.S. appeal. Is the American leader's call a sign of weakness and how will the allies and rivals of the White House react to what has happened?
Donald Trump has called on the international community to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, this is necessary to ensure the safety of the waterway, writes The Washington Post . France, Japan, South Korea, Britain, and even China received a "personal invitation" to support the United States.
As Trump noted, at the moment, the United States has already "destroyed 100% of Iran's military potential," but it "costs nothing for Tehran to send a drone or two, drop a mine or launch a short-range missile somewhere along or inside this waterway, no matter how crushing a defeat they suffered."
On the TruthSocial social network , the head of the White House also stressed that while America is waiting for a decision from other states, its military "will continue to mercilessly bomb the coastline and constantly shoot Iranian boats and ships in the water." Trump concluded his post with a promise that the Strait of Hormuz "one way or another" would soon be "open, safe and free."
In a subsequent message, the President of the United States added that the United States had already defeated and "completely destroyed Iran" economically as well as militarily. Nevertheless, according to him, the countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz "should take care of this passage." However, not all states agree with Washington's proposal.
For example, Norway refused to send its own ships to the Middle East. According to Marita Hundeshagen, the country's defense minister, the situation in the region remains alarming and "very serious." In this regard, the head of the military department called on the parties to the conflict to comply with international law, protect civilians and seek diplomatic ways to resolve the conflict.
In addition, Trump's proposal has put Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a difficult situation. According to The Financial Times, the leader of the Land of the Rising Sun is due to visit the United States in the near future, where she will probably be required to respond to the American initiative. However, Tokyo's ability to help the States is limited by the constitution.
As Takaichi herself explained, the country cannot send a military contingent due to the uncertainty of the status of mines laid by Iran: it is unclear whether they are considered an element of the attack or already "abandoned" weapons. However, the state has modern minesweepers that can be used as part of the mine clearance of the artery.
Seoul is feeling similar pressure. For South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, refusing to participate in the American mission is also fraught with risks for the alliance, but participation threatens protests inside the country. China, analysts say, will almost certainly ignore Trump's call, as it already has its own agreement with Iran on ship safety.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the "vaunted US security umbrella full of holes." He also stressed that "fraternal neighbors" should "expel foreign aggressors, especially if they only care about Israel." In turn, the command of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic stated that the initiative in the conflict currently belongs to Tehran.
"Donald Trump's appeal to other countries to send their own ships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect merchant ships from attacks from Iran risks being seen as a sign of weakness.
Ultimately, the perception of the United States as an unconditional military power in international politics has persisted for a long time," said Stanislav Tkachenko, professor at the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, an expert at the Valdai Club.
"In this regard, Washington's appeal to Beijing is particularly noteworthy. After all, the competition for global leadership between these players has long been a factor in large-scale processes in the world. They usually don't go to obvious rivals for support. Of course, this will not add additional points to the reputation of the United States," he explains.
"Many experts, including American ones, have already called the attack against Iran the biggest mistake in the country's recent history. The White House understands that most states have also been unenthusiastic about their actions. Therefore, Washington is now trying to involve additional forces in the conflict in order to "spread" responsibility for what is happening," the expert emphasizes.
However, even the supporters of the United States in Europe are in no hurry to "join" the conflict in the Middle East.
And this is a significant sign of the continuation of the "fragmentation" of the once unified position of NATO. Moreover, the EU states are beginning to see in what is happening another confirmation of the need to focus on building their own defense policy," the source believes.
"Of course, the situation suggests: will China in any way try to play on the weakness of the United States? In my opinion, Beijing will not force events and will continue to adhere to the already chosen tactics of "conscious distancing." China does not want to escalate the dialogue with the United States," he explains.
"In addition, the economic foundation formed by China allows the republic to "sit out" the crisis times in a state of relative well-being. I think Russia will do the same. Neither Moscow nor Beijing wants to escalate the confrontation with Washington in order to achieve short–term benefits," Tkachenko says.
The request of the United States highlights the problems of the American fleet.,
adds military expert Vadim Kozyulin, head of the IAMP Center at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. "America has a large number of powerful and expensive ships. However, Iran is attacking them with drones," the expert says.
"Drones are cheap, there are many of them, and Tehran has enough professional UAV pilots. Accordingly, the United States is faced with a situation where the Islamic Republic is able to sink their most powerful guns with the help of two- and three-kopeck devices. The media effect of the loss of the aircraft carrier would thus significantly damage the reputation of the United States," the source said.
"To be objective, I would like to add that this issue is not exclusive to Washington. At the beginning of our military operations, we also faced the need to change approaches in the framework of conducting military operations at sea. As for the USA,
Trump's request should be considered precisely in the media aspect.
The head of the White House hopes to attract ships from other countries so that they become the target for Iranian drones. It is unclear how feasible this is. Ultimately, the conflict between the United States and Iran does not enjoy much support even among the states of the collective West," the expert believes.
"Of course, such statements also damage the international perception of the United States as a leading military force. But, apparently, in America they believe that this is a necessary sacrifice. It is preferable for Washington to assemble a coalition of at least several allied countries today," Kozyulin concluded.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
