Trump wants other countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That may not be so easy.

America’s allies and rivals responded cautiously after President Donald Trump said they should cool the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian threats to raid shipping on the key trade route continue to roil global markets.

“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s efforts to close the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships” to protect the shipping lane, he wrote on Saturday on Truth Social, listing China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and “others” among the nations he hoped would provide support.

“The US will also communicate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have been a team effort, and now it will be,” he added in the next post.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open sea, is a trade hub through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, carried by about 3,000 ships that pass through the strait each month. But many ships have been attacked in the area since the war began two weeks ago, all but halting trade and leading to a dramatic increase in oil prices.

In a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said that several countries will help protect against the virus. “Not only did they volunteer, but they thought it was a good idea,” he said. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he expects China to be a “constructive partner” in reopening the road.

But the countries on Trump’s priority list, all affected by the strait closure, have so far responded bitterly to Trump’s plea for support.

Tokyo, a close ally of the US, has yet to officially respond to Trump’s call. The Foreign Ministry told Japan’s NHK news agency that Japan would not immediately send naval vessels at Trump’s request, saying: “Japan is deciding its own response, and independent judgment is important.”

The French government did not immediately respond to this request. Although it has already sent ships to reassure its allies in the wider region, and French President Emmanuel Macron has raised the prospect of deploying ships in the middle of the sea in the future, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that its ships will remain in a “defensive” position in the eastern Mediterranean.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington told CNN that China wants an immediate end to hostilities, without a direct response to Trump’s request.

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told NBC News’ British broadcaster Sky News on Sunday that “the best and most effective way to get the Straits closed is to close it,” although he said the UK was “talking to our partners, including the US” about any help that could be offered.

He said there are “many things” being considered, including the provision of “hunting equipment for private mines.”

South Korea’s presidential office said Sunday it would carefully review the request.

“We are aware of what President Trump said on social media. South Korea and the United States will continue to communicate and carefully review this matter before making a decision,” the South Korean presidential office told NBC News on Sunday.

While it remains to be seen what steps these nations will ultimately take in response to any future economic problems, their lukewarm response appears to be pouring cold water on any hopes Trump may have had for a quick resolution to the blockade.

“The countries named by Trump are all silent, that is,” HA Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told NBC News. France is “something very close to yes,” he said, although even Macron is talking about something “total protection.”

“That’s a long way to the actual equipment, and I don’t expect it to happen. More investment will go into downsizing efforts in my opinion,” he added.

Hellyer said that even if it forms a coalition, “safe passage is not guaranteed,” with mines, drones, boats and anti-ship missiles all a threat, thoughts echoed by Michael A. Horowitz, a country and security analyst.

“Protecting ships is a big gamble,” he said. “On the operational side, you’re putting military assets in a very narrow corridor, which gives Iran more opportunities to strike at short range.”

To suppress these threats, Horowitz told NBC News, “you need more than air and military power: You’re going to need boots on the ground, near key coastal areas.”

In any case, Horowitz said he doubts such a power would stabilize markets. “Just one attack is enough to stop traffic,” he said. “The bar is too high to create enough confidence to propose a de facto shutdown.”

Other countries, on the other hand, seem to be trying to negotiate with Iran in a safe way.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed to CBS News on Sunday that “we have been approached by many countries that want to have a safe place for their ships to sail.” He said: “This is in the hands of our military to decide, and they have decided to allow a group of ships from different countries to pass.”

Trump, who has been busy reopening the shipping lane with military force as the US bombards Iran, appeared to acknowledge Saturday that it will be a big challenge to stop Tehran from attacking the ships.

“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, but it is easy for them to send a drone or two, to drop a mine, or to bring a missile close to a certain place, or in this waterway, no matter how badly they are defeated,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The admission came a day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the blocked waterway was not a major concern. “We were dealing with it and there is no need to worry about it,” he told a press conference on Friday.

Trump’s invitation to European allies to support him in the war comes a week after he told UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that British aircraft carriers are not needed in the region.

In a Truth Social post with Starmer last Saturday, Trump said: “We don’t need any more – But we’ll remember. We don’t need people joining the Wars after we’ve won!”

Tensions with European allies have been high during the conflict, as Trump has clashed with the UK and Spain over the use of their military facilities.

“This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with,” Trump said after Starmer refused to allow the US to use British bases as part of its first strikes, later allowing the use of its bases for “defensive” actions.

A day later, after Spain banned US military aircraft from using military bases in Andalusia, Trump said the US would seek to “cut off all trade with Spain,” which is a member of the European Union’s single market.