Cowards

Trump called NATO allies "cowards" for not helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote it on social media this morning, before several European countries issued a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and saying they are "ready to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage" through the strait. Trump wants allied warships escorting tankers. What he got was a communiqué.

Sri Lanka denied permission for two US bombers to operate from its Mattala base, seeking to preserve its neutrality. It is not a NATO ally, but the gesture illustrates a broader pattern: the coalition of the willing that Washington needs to sustain an operation of this scale is not materialising. Spain banned its bases. The UK took 48 hours to decide and then excluded Cyprus. NATO as an institution said it is "not involved." Now Trump calls them cowards.

There is some truth to the frustration, but there is something absurd about it too. Trump launched a war without consulting his allies, without congressional authorisation and without UN backing. Now he demands they send ships to mitigate the economic consequences of that war. Europe did not support the start of the operation, but it is suffering its effects: natural gas has surged, supply chains are broken and fuel prices are climbing in every European capital. The insult is free. The damage is not.