Austria and Belgium Reject Involvement in Operations in the Strait of Hormuz

Moscow (ANTARA) - Austria and Belgium will not join any potential operations to restore safe navigation conditions through the Strait of Hormuz, as called for by United States President Donald Trump, their prime ministers stated on Thursday.

“Austria is not considering intervention in the Strait of Hormuz. As far as I understand, we are talking about a request to NATO countries. This is a NATO matter and the answer has been given. EU countries have also made it clear that they do not want to get involved in this conflict, which they did not start,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told reporters ahead of the EU Summit in Brussels.

Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said in an interview in Brussels that the kingdom would not join the US-Israel war against Iran in any way.

On Saturday (14/3), Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to ensure security. He warned NATO allies that the alliance faces a “very bad future” if it fails to secure the strait.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, stated that EU countries are not ready to send a fleet to the Strait of Hormuz.