- US President Donald Trump says he’s “not happy” with the UK after Keir Starmer said it would not be drawn into a “wider war” over Iran
- Trump repeats his call for other nations to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz after earlier warning it would be “very bad for the future of Nato” if allies don’t help secure the key oil shipping route
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says this war “is not a matter for Nato”, while Nato says “allies have already stepped up to provide additional security in the Mediterranean” – here’s how other countries have responded
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the Strait of Hormuz “is open, but closed to our enemies, to those who carried out this cowardly aggression against us and to their allies”.
- European leaders have rejected demands by US President Donald Trump to help ensure freedom of navigation in the key waterway.
- US and Israeli forces have continued to bombard Iran, hitting cities including Tehran, Hamadan and Isfahan, as Iranian counterattacks continue, with damage reported in several Israeli cities.
- The Israeli military says its troops have launched ground operations in southern Lebanon as fighting against Hezbollah intensifies
‘I was not happy with the UK… they should be involved enthusiastically’
The US president says he was “very surprised” with the attitude of the United Kingdom towards the war.
“Two weeks ago I said ‘why don’t you send some ships over’ and he [Keir Starmer] really didn’t want to do it,” Trump says.
Trump says he told Starmer, “you’re our oldest ally” and stresses that he’s supported the UK’s efforts in Ukraine.
“Then they tell us that we have a mine ship around and they don’t want to do it, I think it’s terrible,” he adds. “We requested two aircraft carriers which they have and he didn’t really want to do it.”
Trump then suggests that Starmer eventually offered to send aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but says this was already “after the war had ended”.
“I was not happy with the UK,” he says. “I think they’ll be involved maybe, but they should be involved enthusiastically.”
Five things we learned as Trump pushes allies for Strait of Hormuz support
Donald Trump took some time to address Iran while speaking at a White House event – here’s what he had to say:
- The US president began by repeating his message that the US has “obliterated” Iran’s military capacity – and went on to claim that 7,000 targets have been hit in Iran so far
- The biggest point of contention surrounded support for the US operation to contain Iran’s threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said the US is “hammering”
- Nonetheless, Trump told reporters that he’s asked countries for help in the Strait “to find out how they react”. He was critical of the UK, who he suggested “should be involved enthusiastically”
- The president then said his Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be announcing the countries who will be supporting US efforts in Iran soon
- After Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, Trump speculated “we don’t know if he’s dead or not” and suggested: “We don’t know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are”
Trump frames Strait of Hormuz efforts as test for Nato
President Trump is framing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a test of Nato allies.
The president says the United States does not necessarily need help securing the vital shipping route – but implies it would be revealing to see which countries ‘rise to the challenge’.
The task itself is significant: the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, through which a large share of global oil supplies normally pass.
When asked during a White House media conference which countries had refused to help, Trump declined to name them.
Instead, he joked about rating leaders’ performances – saying that “on a scale of zero to ten” French President Emmanuel Macron was “an eight – not perfect, but it’s France”.
Trump also pointed out that the US receives only a small share of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz – singling out other countries such as Japan, which relies on the Middle East for about 95% of its oil imports.
But the fact that he is asking other nations to help reopen the waterway – even while insisting the US does not necessarily need it – underlines the scale of the task now facing the administration.
Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon kills paramedic, wounds another
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike hit an Islamic Health Authority point in Yater, killing one paramedic and wounding another.
Israel says displaced Lebanese people won’t be allowed to return home
Israel has warned that thousands of Lebanese forced from their homes by its military campaign will not be allowed to return any time soon as Israeli troops expand ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The announcement has echos of the Gaza genocide in which Israel forcefully displaced all of Gaza’s population since it started its war in October 2023.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Israeli forces had entered additional areas in the south.
Soldiers are now operating in “new locations”, he said, claiming the advance as “limited and targeted”.
The push comes days after Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the army to widen its offensive.
Despite a ceasefire signed in November 2024, Israel has continued attacking Lebanon. Since 2 March Israel has intensified its bombardment across Lebanon, killing almost 900 civilians and displacing more than 830,000 Lebanese people.
Europe must act carefully on Middle East energy disruptions: Von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Europe’s actions in response to Middle East oil and gas disruptions and rising energy prices should be limited in scope and short-lived.
“It is important that any short-term measures do not delay the decarbonisation of the energy system, do not increase the demand for oil and gas, are temporary and targeted, and minimise fiscal costs,” von der Leyen wrote in a letter.
Germany won’t participate in war on Iran: Chancellor Merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says his country will refrain from participating in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Merz said Germany lacked the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union, or NATO under the Basic Law, and it was clear from the outset that the war is not a matter for NATO.
“The United States of America and Israel did not consult us prior to this war either. As for Iran, there has never been a joint decision on the ‘whether’ of the matter. That is why the question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise,” he added.
Lebanon says 1 million people displaced by Israeli war
Lebanon says more than one million people have now been displaced as Israel’s war on the country continues to drive civilians from their homes.
In its latest daily update, authorities said large numbers of people have been forced to register as displaced while tens of thousands have sought refuge in emergency shelters, the official Lebanese National News Agency reported.
“The total number of self-registered displaced persons reached 1,049,328, and the total number of displaced persons in shelters reached 132,742,” a statement said. “The death toll has risen to 886 and the number of wounded to 2,141.”
Death toll from strike near Iraq’s border with Syria rises to 6
At least six Iran-backed fighters have been killed in a strike near Iraq’s western border with Syria.
An earlier death toll said four fighters were killed and three others wounded.
The troops from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), now part of Iraq’s regular army – were struck by a “Zionist [Israeli] bombing” that targeted “an official security position”, according to the PMF.
Earlier, an official with the group told AFP news agency the attack hit a checkpoint, blaming the US.
Another four fighters were wounded, the PMF added in a statement, bringing the total injured to seven.
Trump says France is keen to help on the Strait of Hormuz
President Trump says he spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron who he said is willing to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
France has insisted it will not join the war on Iran, maintaining a strictly “defensive” approach in the Middle East.
Israel claims missile debris falls near Al-Aqsa mosque, Church of Holy Sepulchre
Israeli police said fragments from missiles and interceptor systems landed at several sensitive religious sites in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City during Iranian missile interceptions.
Authorities said debris was discovered near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and in the Jewish Quarter after air defence systems engaged incoming missiles over the city.
“During the recent salvo fired from Iran toward Jerusalem, several intercepts occurred over the city,” police said.
Officers later located “fragments of missiles and interceptor debris, some of significant size, at multiple sites in the Old City”.
Missile debris struck the roof of a residential building in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.
‘Overwhelming view in EU this is an illegal war of choice’
EU Ambassador James Moran says there is broad agreement across Europe the war on Iran by Israel and the United States lacks any legitimacy.
“There is an overwhelming view in the European Union that this is an illegal war of choice on the part of Israel and the United States, and Europe should have absolutely nothing to do with it, at least so far as offensive actions are concerned,” Moran told Al Jazeera.
He added the position reflects a strong consensus across the bloc.
“And I think there’s very, very strong consensus for that in the mainstream of European Union thinking.”
However, Moran warned Europe still faces serious economic and security consequences from the conflict, particularly if tensions threaten shipping routes in the Gulf.
“Europe is paying the highest price for the threats against the Strait of Hormuz”, and at the same time “[Russian President] Putin, who is the main adversary for Europe, is getting most of the benefit in terms of higher oil prices.”
Moran said European leaders are now discussing how they might help protect shipping through the strait without joining the war.
“The problem is how to do that strictly defensively, and not getting dragged into a war of aggression.”
More from Trump’s news conference
- Additional strikes continue from all directions every single hour on Iran.
- We destroyed everything on Kharg Island except the area where the oil is – we left the pipes.
- For purposes of someday rebuilding that country, I guess we did the right thing, but it may not stay that way.
- More than 30 mine-laying Iranian ships have been destroyed.
- We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the Strait of Hormuz far more than ours – we want them to come and help us with the strait.
Turkiye: Israel’s invasion of Lebanon ‘further deepens instability’
Ankara has “strongly condemned” Israel’s ground assault on southern Lebanon.
“The [Benjamin] Netanyahu government’s implementation of genocidal and collective punishment policies, this time in Lebanon, will lead to a new humanitarian catastrophe in the region,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
“We reiterate our solidarity with Lebanon in the face of these attacks, which violate Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Trump says some countries not ‘enthusiastic’ about Hormuz help
President Trump has criticised allies for their lukewarm response to his call to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the Israel-US war against Iran.
“For 40 years we’re protecting you, and you don’t want to get involved,” Trump told reporters. “We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm,” he said.
Trump wants nations to help police the crucial strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles, and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.”
Several US allies said on Monday they have no immediate plans to send naval vessels to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.