Take Hormuz by Force? France and Britain Have Better Ideas

Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer have become two of Donald Trump’s favorite punching bags as the US president tries to extricate his country from a war with Iran that has choked off a critical oil route, thus depleting the world’s energy supplies and destabilizing financial markets.

Yet despite his regular provocations over their (and Europe’s) sensible refusal to join his conflict and “take the oil” by force, the French and British leaders are key figures to watch as America’s allies try to see a way through Trump’s geopolitical miasma. The Old Continent had nothing to do with the US-Israeli war of choice, and yet the fallout is threatening their citizens’ safety, security and prosperity as diesel prices hit a four-year high and terrorism risks rise. Their efforts may even bear fruit.