What grade does Trump give to Macron for the response on France's military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz

American President Donald Trump on Monday assessed with reservations the willingness of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, for France to join efforts to ensure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, writes CNN.

“I talked to him,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House. “On a scale of zero to 10, I'd say it was an eight.”

“It's not perfect,” Trump said with a shrug, adding, “but it's about France.”

In fact, the American president criticized on Monday, during the same press conference from the White House, the US allies who reject his requests for help to ensure order in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for the supply of oil worldwide.

France has signaled that it is willing to provide defensive support to escort ships through the strait when the “most intense phase” of the war ends.

But Trump, even as he seeks the support of allies, has also said that the US does not need their help.

“I'm not pushing them too hard because my attitude is we don't need anybody. We're the most powerful nation in the world. We have by far the most powerful military in the world. We don't need them,” the White House leader said.

“But it's interesting: in some cases I almost do (press them, no), not because we need them, but because I want to know how they react,” added the American president.

“Some are very enthusiastic, some are not, and some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from terrible outside sources, and they're not very enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me,” Trump said.

He previously asked NATO allies, but also other US allies, such as Japan or South Korea, but also China, to help the United States ensure the security of maritime traffic in the face of Iranian retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz, an essential navigable artery for the world trade in oil and gas.

Firm refusal from Germany

Previously, Trump had threatened “very serious consequences for the future of NATO” if the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance refuse to send military ships to the area of ​​the Strait of Hormuz, a request towards which the member states that have expressed themselves on this matter have already expressed reservations.

Britain and Germany on Monday ruled out any NATO mission to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, while Japan said it was not considering such involvement.

Germany's refusal was firm.

“How does Donald Trump expect a handful or two of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz what the mighty US naval forces cannot do?” remarked German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. “This is not our war, we did not start it,” added the German minister.

Iran denied that it closed the Strait of Hormuz following the war started against it by the US and Israel, and the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghci, assured that Tehran does not intend to close it either, although he did not rule out this possibility if the US and Israel continue the war, notes Agerpres.

“We haven't closed it. It's the ships and oil tankers that don't try to cross it because they're afraid they'll be hit by one camp or the other,” the Iranian minister said in an interview with the American station NBC News.

However, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to strike any ship in the strait with ties to the US, Israel and their supporting countries.

At least 16 ships have been targeted in the Gulf since the war began on February 28.