Trump continues to plead for Hormuz coalition as allies refuse; struggles to find any nation willing to join

On Day 18 of the Iran war, Trump continued pressing allies to join a naval coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz despite universal rejection. Axios reported Trump was 'struggling to build coalition to reopen Strait of Hormuz.' Al Jazeera's liveblog headline read 'Trump scolds allies for not joining Strait of Hormuz mission.' NPR reported Trump 'continues to plead with US allies to join coalition.' European leaders continued to rebuff him, with Washington Post headlining 'European leaders rebuff Trump's call to open Strait of Hormuz.' The spectacle of the American president begging and threatening in equal measure -- after spending years denigrating multilateral alliances, threatening NATO members with tariffs, and launching a unilateral war without consulting allies -- represented the logical culmination of Trump's 'America First' foreign policy: America alone, facing the consequences of a war it started, with no friends willing to help clean up the mess.