There's something fascinating about Trump's declaration that "the United States doesn't need allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz." Not fascinating in an admiring sense, but in a clinical one: we're witnessing in real time the resurgence of American isolationism that comes at just the right moment... Read more: america tired carrying for everyone except America.

Because what exactly are we talking about here? A chokepoint through which 20% of the world's oil transits, closed or threatened with closure following an "American-Israeli offensive against Iran" — according to reports from the New York Times and the BBC. In other words: the United States helps create the problem, then announces it will solve it alone. That's geopolitical artistry at its finest.

Europe, the Reluctant Firefighter

Read more: breaking overthrowing regimeFaced with this bravado, Sir Keir Starmer's reaction sounds almost like an admission of powerlessness disguised as diplomacy: the UK is "working with its allies on a plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz." Translation: while Washington plays cowboy, London tries to limit the damage with what remains of the international order.

This divergence isn't anecdotal. It reveals a fundamental fracture in the Western conception of collective security. On one side, an America rediscovering the supposed virtues of unilateralism — "America First" 2026 edition. On the other, a Europe finding itself playing mediator in a conflict it didn't choose, to protect vital economic interests that its American ally seems to consider secondary.

The Myth of Self-Sufficiency

But let's dig into this Trumpian rhetoric. "We don't need allies": here's the fantasy of total superpower dominance that has haunted the American imagination since 1945. Except the geopolitical reality of 2026 is no longer that of the post-war era. Today's Iran is neither the Iraq of 2003 nor the Libya of 2011. It's a battle-tested regional power with formidable asymmetric capabilities, one that has had twenty years to prepare for this type of confrontation.

Even more revealing: this unilateralist posture comes precisely when the United States would most need its allies. Because closing the Strait of Hormuz is easy — a few mines, a few missiles, and you're done. Reopening it sustainably is another matter entirely. That requires a long-term political strategy, diplomatic guarantees, a reconstruction of regional balances. In short, exactly the type of mission where international legitimacy matters more than raw firepower.

Europe Faces Its Contradictions

On the European side, the situation is hardly more flattering. Starmer can talk all he wants about "collaboration with allies," but the truth is that Europe once again finds itself bearing the consequences of an American policy it didn't influence. How many times have we seen this scenario? The United States decides, Europe absorbs the costs — economic, migratory, security-related.

And what exactly does this "collaboration" propose? A plan to "protect" the strait, not to resolve the conflict threatening to close it. This is symptomatic of European diplomacy that excels at crisis management but systematically fails at conflict prevention. We treat the symptoms, never the causes.

The Price of Improvisation

Ultimately, this Strait of Hormuz crisis crystallizes everything dysfunctional about the Western geopolitical order. On one side, an America oscillating between brutal interventionism and irresponsible isolationism, depending on its president's mood. On the other, a Europe content to pick up the pieces, lacking the means — or courage — for an autonomous policy.

The result? A predictable escalation in an already explosive region, with allies who no longer even speak the same strategic language. Trump bets on brute force and shock effect. Starmer favors consultation and preventive diplomacy. Two approaches that aren't complementary but contradictory.

The Illusion of Solitary Power

Because that's precisely the paradox of this Trumpian declaration: it reveals less American strength than American fragility. A country truly confident in its power doesn't need to proclaim it can do without its allies. It uses them, influences them, leads them — but doesn't publicly reject them. This rhetoric of self-sufficiency sounds more like the admission of an America that no longer knows how to manage an alliance system that has become too complex for its leaders.

Result: here we are with a major crisis at the heart of the global energy economy, managed by allies who no longer really ally themselves. America goes it alone, Europe improvises protection plans, and Iran observes this Western cacophony with, no doubt, considerable amusement.

In this geopolitical chess game, the only certainty is that the pawns — European and American citizens — will pay the energy bill for this diplomatic improvisation. Once again.