Strait of Hormuz Closed by Iran Again, Germany Blames Trump

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has blamed United States President Donald Trump for the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. Pistorius called for the waterway, which is vital for global oil and gas supplies, to be reopened immediately. “Ultimately, the plug in the bottleneck of the Strait of Hormuz was pushed in by Donald Trump, not by us, but we have an interest in opening it again,” Pistorius said in an interview with local German television station ARD, as reported by AFP on Monday (22/6/2026). The Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked during the war that erupted on 28 February, triggered by a large-scale US and Israeli attack on Iran. Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under an initial agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Ship traffic in the waterway subsequently began to recover. However, on Saturday (20/6) local time, Iran announced it would close the Strait of Hormuz again because Israel continued to bombard Lebanon, the base of the Hezbollah group. “The opening of the Strait of Hormuz, or more precisely a safe passage through it, is in Europe’s interest, in the interest of our energy supply and our economic recovery,” Pistorius stressed in his statement. He added that any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would require support from Iran and Oman, whose territory lies in the Strait of Hormuz area. Pistorius’s strong statement came after Germany repeatedly distanced itself from the US military operations against Iran ordered by Trump. However, until now, German officials had never directly blamed the US for the conflict. When Trump urged Washington’s allies to help reopen or secure the Strait of Hormuz last April, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the war was “not NATO’s business”. Merz and Pistorius also criticised the US for not consulting its allies before launching the attack on Iran.