Hegseth accuses Europe, Asia of 'freeriding' over Hormuz

Roxana Tiron and Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News on Apr 24, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused European and Asian countries of relying on the U.S. military to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz after it was closed by the war against Iran.

“Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for freeriding is over,” Hegseth said at a news conference on Friday. “America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal.”

The Pentagon chief said the U.S. blockade of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil and gas flows out of the Persian Gulf, is growing stronger each day after reports that some vessels were circumnavigating U.S. Navy vessels in the area.

The U.S. launched the blockade amid Iranian resistance to President Donald Trump’s demands for a ceasefire, with the strait largely closed to tanker traffic by Iranian threats — raising global energy prices significantly since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in late February.

Trump has called on European allies and others — including geopolitical rival China — to help reopen the vital waterway for oil and gas flows out of the Persian Gulf, though most countries have not agreed to send vessels amid an active war.

The U.K. and France have hosted regular summits — including this week — to discuss setting up a naval force that would ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the U.S. and Israeli military operations began. But the U.K. said it would be “strictly defensive in nature,” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it would go into effect “as soon as conditions allow.”

Hegseth, who referred to the recent meetings as “a silly conference,” once again stressed that Europe and Asia were more reliant on oil and gas coming out of the Persian Gulf than the U.S. He said there was now a “new global conga line headed to Texas, a beautiful picture” — a reference to U.S. oil exports.

“We are not counting on Europe but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat,” Hegseth said.

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—With assistance from Ellen Milligan.

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