NATO's top military commander convened senior defense officials from allied countries this week to discuss possible contributions to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, but the alliance stressed that it is not planning a NATO military mission in the strategic waterway.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, hosted a videoconference Wednesday with defense chiefs from interested allied countries to explore ways they could support freedom of navigation in the strait, a spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.
"Given NATO's unique strengths in its ability to bring together Allies and understand the capabilities they bring to bear, it makes sense for NATO to facilitate in this way,” the spokesperson said, while emphasizing that the effort was not a NATO mission.
The discussions come as NATO members seek to avoid direct involvement in the nearly six-month-old conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel while preparing for a possible effort to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's most important energy routes. Before the conflict disrupted shipping, roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil passed through the strait.
France and Britain have been leading efforts to assemble a coalition of about a dozen countries to help guarantee safe passage once tensions ease or the conflict ends. Any lasting arrangement, however, would ultimately depend on Iran allowing international shipping to resume freely.
The NATO discussions came as tensions between Washington and Tehran showed no sign of easing.
Iran warned Friday that any new U.S. threats would trigger a "devastating” response after Washington said it planned to impose some of the toughest financial penalties in its history in an effort to pressure Iran's leadership.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would provide details of the new sanctions Monday. President Donald Trump has warned that countries providing "any type of lifeline to Iran” could face economic consequences.
Iran's Armed Forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, said Tehran was prepared to respond across multiple domains.
"With preparedness across land, sea, air, air defense and cyberspace, Iran's armed forces will respond to the enemy's new threats with crushing, punishing and devastating responses,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.
The exchange of threats comes as both sides continue to claim momentum in a war that has killed thousands of people, damaged Iran's economy and military capabilities, drawn in other countries in the Gulf region and pushed global energy prices higher.
Although U.S. strikes have significantly weakened Iran's conventional forces and economy, Tehran retains missiles and drones capable of threatening oil tankers and regional infrastructure.
An increasingly unpopular war
Trump has also yet to achieve several of the objectives he outlined when the conflict began, including dismantling Iran's nuclear program and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow the country's clerical leadership.
The war has contributed to higher gasoline prices in the United States and has weighed on Trump's political standing. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week showed his approval rating at its lowest level of his current term.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has been involved in mediated negotiations with Washington, said the United States appeared to have concluded that it could not prevail through direct military confrontation.
"We must make plans to deal with the unjust sanctions so that we can overcome them,” Qalibaf said in neighboring Iraq.
But he also acknowledged the growing pressure on Iran's economy.
"No matter how much military power we have, we won't survive if people are hungry and we don't have financial turnover, economic growth and national production,” he told Iranian and Iraqi businesspeople Thursday, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
Oil prices rise on sanctions threat
Oil prices rose Friday after Washington threatened sanctions against Iran's trading partners, raising concerns that tighter restrictions could further reduce supplies in the global market.
Bessent told CNBC that he would outline the new measures Monday and said the administration intended to "collapse this regime.”
Iran has lived under extensive international sanctions for nearly five decades, but the latest pressure comes as the country struggles with high inflation, a weakening currency, energy shortages and infrastructure damage.
The consequences could extend well beyond Iran.
Bessent said China obtains about half of its energy from the Gulf and should cooperate with Washington's pressure campaign. China buys more than 80% of Iran's seaborne oil, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler.
Beijing has pushed back against the sanctions threat. China's embassy in Washington said sanctions and pressure would not resolve the crisis and called for diplomacy.
The conflict also poses serious risks to U.S. allies in the Gulf, where Iranian attacks have targeted energy facilities and desalination plants that provide drinking water.
The United States and Iran have twice announced ceasefire agreements, in April and June, aimed in part at restoring the movement of commercial vessels through Hormuz. Iran and Oman, which sits across the narrow waterway, have also held separate talks focused on reopening navigation.
Washington, however, has opposed any agreement that would require ships to pay a toll.