The United States ignores Europe's allies' calls for a ceasefire, and the rift between both sides continues to deepen.

France and Germany’s senior officials recently accused the United States of launching military strikes against Iran without informing allies in advance, and of having fighting spill over in a way that caused the latter enormous economic losses, leaving deep cracks in transatlantic relations. The United States, however, has ignored allies’ concerns about “stopping the war” and is still weighing plans to deploy more troops to the Middle East.

Allies are anxious and uneasy

On the 24th, French Chief of the Defence Staff Fabien Mandon criticized the United States at a security and defense forum held in Paris, France’s capital, saying that the United States, as an ally, has become “increasingly unreliable.” According to Mandon, although the U.S. is still France’s ally, it has become more and more unpredictable. “Before striking Iran, it even can’t be bothered to notify us,” and the U.S. “stance” has already affected France’s security and interests.

On the same day, French President Macron said on social media that he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging Iran to stop attacks on countries in the Middle East; to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz; and to actively carry out negotiations in preparation for de-escalation.

On March 9, President Macron arrived at the Paphos Air Force Base in the southwest of Cyprus. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter George Christoforou

On the 17th, Macron said at a national defense and security meeting that, given that France is not a party to the conflict, it would not take part in any actions aimed at “opening up” the Strait of Hormuz under the current circumstances. According to a news website in Saudi Arabia, this statement can be regarded as a “slap in the face” to U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks the day before. On the 16th at an event at the White House, Trump hinted that France would likely join the Hormuz Strait escort operation proposed by the U.S. The report noted that since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, the shipping risk through the Strait of Hormuz has surged, global oil prices have swung sharply, and many European countries are trying to safeguard their own interests.

Also on the 24th, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katrin Reiche, warned at an energy industry conference held in Texas, the United States, that Germany’s “fragile economic recovery” is threatened by spillover effects from the Middle East war, and that Germany will face fuel shortages within weeks. Reiche said that if the fighting drags on, Germany may face fuel shortages in April or May.

Germany’s economy has recently begun to show signs of recovery, but the current sharp rise in international energy prices has increased production costs for energy-intensive industries such as machinery manufacturing and chemical industries, affecting related companies’ investment trends, production plans, and profit margins. Analysis data from the German Institute for Economic Research shows that if London Brent crude oil futures rise to $150 per barrel, Germany’s economic losses over two years will exceed 80 billion euros.

On the 24th, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at a commemorative event at the German Foreign Office that since Trump started his second term as president, the cracks in transatlantic relations have run deep. He stressed that the U.S. and Israel’s military strikes against Iran undoubtedly violate international law and are a fatal political mistake.

On March 21, people gathered in London, the United Kingdom, to protest the U.S. and Israel’s military strikes on Iran. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying

The U.S. may deploy more troops

While Europe’s allies are anxious and uneasy, the United States is still planning to continue increasing troop deployments to the Middle East. Multiple U.S. media outlets, including The New York Times, reported on the 24th, citing information from U.S. Department of Defense officials, that the Pentagon has dispatched about 2,000 soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in order to have more military options as Trump carries out diplomatic actions with Iran. The report said that recently, the U.S. Navy’s expeditionary force—including several aircraft carriers and thousands of Marine Corps personnel—has sailed out of ports in California, and is expected to reach the Middle East in at least three weeks.

The report pointed out that the Marines’ training includes supporting U.S. consular operations, evacuating civilians, and conducting rescue operations; the 82nd Airborne Division’s training is for parachuting into “hostile or contested areas” to seize key areas and airports.

Regarding the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, the Trump administration has recently sent signals of “fighting while negotiating.” On the one hand, it threatens Iran with attacks on Iran’s “various power plants” and demands that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz; on the other hand, it claims that it has held “strong” dialogue with Iran and that key points of an agreement have been formed. Iran’s armed forces issued a statement in response, saying that if the threats by the U.S. to attack Iran’s power plants are carried out, Iran will immediately take four “punitive” measures, including a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, on the 23rd, Iran’s Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, denied on social media any negotiations with the United States. Ghalibaf said that spreading false news is to “manipulate financial and oil markets,” so as to get the United States and Israel out of the “deep quagmire” they are mired in.

An article published by the U.S. think tank Suzhou Center for analysis said that the U.S. intends to delay Iran’s actions by releasing the complex signals mentioned above, thereby buying time for the deployment of U.S. Marines to the Middle East. At the same time, the Trump administration is also “actively looking” for a way to extricate itself from the war. (Wang Yijun)

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