European countries and Japan have issued a joint statement condemning Iran's threats to the Strait of Hormuz, pledging to defend it from its military threat. This comes after Iran shut down the strait and increased oil prices after the US and Israel began military strikes. The leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan called Iran's actions to disrupt global energy supply chains a threat to international peace and security. President Trump had previously threatened the future of NATO unless the international community joined the effort to defend the oil tanker route.