The Czech foreign minister says Prague is ready to help protect the Strait of Hormuz

UNITED STATES – The Czech Republic is ready to help protect freedom of movement in the Strait of Hormuz and is closely aligned with the Trump administration on security, NATO and Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview with the United Nations in New York.

Prague has already started discussions about contributing special capabilities to help protect the important waterway amid growing tensions with Iran, Macinka said while speaking at UN Security Council meetings.

“We are ready to contribute to the freedom of passage and trade of Hormuz,” said Macinka.

“We were among the first countries that were ready to contribute … We don’t have a navy, since we are in the middle of Europe,” he explained, “But we have a unique surveillance force.”

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Macinka warned that Iran poses a threat to the world with what he described as four main “weapons of war”: the proliferation of nuclear weapons, drones and ballistic missiles, international terrorism and threats in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Their nuclear weapons program must be stopped,” he said. “It’s a global risk and a global threat.”

The comments come as the Trump administration has increased pressure on European allies to play a greater role in protecting international shipping lanes amid threats from Iran tied to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes. About one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption goes through the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

Speaking after a meeting with foreign ministers in Sweden on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned the importance of hosting US military bases in allied countries that restrict US military operations during wartime.

“One of the arguments I’ve always made is that these foundations in the region have given us options that we wouldn’t have had,” Rubio told reporters. “And when some of those bases are denied to you during the conflict we’re involved in, then you question whether that value is still there.”

President Donald Trump has also sharply criticized NATO allies for reluctance to participate in military operations related to the Iran conflict and the defense of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said he was “seriously considering” pulling the United States out of NATO after its allies failed to join the U.S. campaign against Iran, according to an April 1 interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph, calling the alliance a “paper tiger.”

Ships of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps are seen during a ceremony to mark National Persian Gulf Day in the Persian Gulf near Bushehr, Iran, on April 29, 2024. National Persian Gulf Day marks the anniversary of the expulsion of the Portuguese military from the Strait of Hormuz in 1622. (Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, met the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defense and has backed calls for Europe to increase military preparedness amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Macinka strongly defended the administration’s calls for Europe to increase defense spending and reduce dependence on Washington for long-term security guarantees.

“We have to do our homework and build our defenses to be strong,” he said, saying that Europe has delayed the necessary investments in the military for too long.

He also linked challenges to European defense spending and the European Union’s Green Deal policies, the bloc’s sweeping climate agenda aimed at reducing carbon emissions, which he called psychologically and economically dangerous.

“If we get rid of this green, crazy wonder, we have enough money to build our defenses,” he said.

The Czech foreign minister also voiced unusually forthright support for Trump and his administration, hailing what he described as a “normal” global shift following Trump’s election victory.

“We are friends of Israel, and we are friends of America,” Macinka said. “Especially as a politician, I am a friend of the ideas of the current American administration.”

Macinka also revealed the conflict earlier in 2026 with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized the liberal European political establishment and defended the populist wave that is reshaping parts of Europe and the United States.

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The tanker is sitting in the port of Fujairah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran reduces maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)

Macinka linked Prague’s strong support for Ukraine to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when hundreds of thousands of Warsaw Pact troops occupied the country for more than two decades.

He said that historical experience continues to shape Czech public opinion and support for Kyiv.

“Czech society feels a great solidarity with Ukraine,” Macinka said, describing the war as an “equal war” between the powerful Russian army and the Western-backed Ukrainian army.

Macinka highlighted Prague’s leading role in the Czech-backed ammunition program that supplies Ukraine with weapons collected through international donor efforts.

Recalling his visit to Kyiv in early 2026, he said he received an intelligence report on the use of ammunition on the battlefield from Ukrainian military officials.

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Iranian and Russian navies simulate the rescue of a hijacked ship during a joint exercise at the Port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan, Iran, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Czech program delivered more than half a million rounds of ammunition in 2026 alone, according to Macinka, helping to stabilize the battlefield ahead of possible peace talks.

Macinka argued that maintaining a stable case is essential for meaningful negotiations, warning that changing the battle lines will strengthen interests on both sides.

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Newly recruited soldiers of the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine take part in mobilization and advanced training in Kharkiv Oblast on May 14, 2026, after completing basic military training. (Yevhen Titov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

As Washington continues to focus more on the Middle East, Macinka also said that Europe must start taking a greater diplomatic role in the future talks on Ukraine.

“America is preoccupied with the Middle East,” he said. “Europe must stand up and ask for a place at the table.”