Trump threatened to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine unless Europe offered support on Iran

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The strait has been effectively closed by Iran after the US-Israeli attacks began in late February, choking a route through which a fifth of the world’s oil typically passes.

The US president demanded NATO allies help him reopen the narrow waterway last month, but was rebuffed by European capitals which said it would be impossible while the conflict was ongoing, with Starmer declaring that this was “not our war”.

Trump reportedly threatened to stop supplies to Purl, NATO's weapons procurement initiative for Ukraine funded by European countries, sources officials familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times.

Subsequently, a group of countries including key alliance members France, Germany and the UK issued a hastily agreed statement on March 19 which said: “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait [of Hormuz].”

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An official briefed on the discussions said: “It was Rutte who insisted on the joint statement because Trump had threatened to withdraw from Purl and from Ukraine in general.

“The statement was then quickly put together, and other countries joined in afterwards because there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign up straight away."

Two officials said that Rutte was involved in multiple calls with Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the two days before the statement was issued.

Another official said that, during a call with France, Germany and the UK, Rutte explained that Trump was “rather hysterical” about the Europeans’ refusal to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.

British officials insisted that the UK and the US had been discussing options for securing the strait on a “military-to-military basis” before March 19, but did not deny that Washington had threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine if Nato countries failed to step up.

Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said: “President Trump has made his disappointment with NATO and other allies clear and, as the president emphasised, ‘the United States will remember’.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with European allies for not doing more to support the US campaign against Iran, while portraying the war in Ukraine as a problem for Europe.

“We’re there to protect NATO, to protect them from Russia. But they’re not there to protect us. It’s ridiculous,” he said during a cabinet meeting last week.

Asked about Trump’s frustration with NATO allies over the Strait of Hormuz, Rutte said: “I am confident that allies, as always, will do everything in support of our shared interests.”

More countries have signed the joint statement since its release on March 19.

On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he would host talks this week among the 35 signatories on forming a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “after the fighting has stopped”.

US-Israeli operations against Iran have intensified global competition for PAC-3 interceptor missiles, which are fired by Patriot air defence systems and used by Gulf states to defend against Iranian attacks.

The interceptors are also a vital part of Ukraine’s defences against Russian missile strikes.

Rubio said on Friday that US military supplies to Ukraine through the Purl mechanism had not been affected by the war in the Middle East.

“Nothing yet has been diverted,” he added.

But Rubio did not rule out the possibility that the US could in future reroute weapons earmarked for Ukraine in order to replenish American stockpiles depleted by the war against Iran.

“If we need something for America and it’s American, we’re going to keep it for America first,” he said.