Bless their hearts. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron really thought that they were doing something important and special… and then Donald Trump made them look like fools.

Europe has, as a whole, been voluntarily sitting out the war with Iran, but loudly bitching about the results when they don’t get what they want. For example, the EU leader Ursula von der Leyen, while stressing that opening the Strait of Hormuz was critical to Europe, her entire plan to deal with an energy shortage was to tell everyone to use LESS ENERGY.

Ursula’s brilliant energy “solution”: Don't use it.
"The cheapest energy is the one you don't use."

So Europe’s grand strategy is…
Don’t produce. Don’t grow. Don’t compete. pic.twitter.com/wSqFfN3M9t

— The Duran (@TheDuranReal) April 14, 2026

Oh yeah, that’s REAL leadership there. So the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (otherwise known as a wet noodle in a suit) and French President Emmanuel Macron (who thinks he is still important) decided to throw a big meeting that could have been an email, all focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz without the involvement or participation of the United States. And yes, this could have been an email. Starmer went to Paris to host a “virtual meeting,” which means that only he and Macron were in the same room.

They even gave their pointless Zoom meeting a fancy name…lol

The most Europoor thing I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/r8LvfNBo99

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) April 17, 2026

And the entire premise is hilarious, especially considering that the UK barely has a boat to float at the moment.

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron convene a summit Friday on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the two leaders are pushing a European-led plan to reopen the vital shipping lane after the war, without U.S. leadership.

The proposal envisions a post-conflict naval mission made up of Britain, France and other “non-belligerent” countries that would deploy only after fighting ends. Unlike President Donald Trump’s current strategy of blockading Iranian ports with U.S. naval power, the Anglo-French initiative is intended to be separate from the warring parties and focused on restoring commercial shipping.

A senior European official insisted the initiative is not meant to go around Washington, telling Fox News Digital that Paris began discussing a future maritime mission “from day one” of the conflict and is now formalizing those plans jointly with London.

Well, step one would be to actually have a working navy with fully staffed and seaworthy ships, but that has not been a priority of the United Kingdom for far too long, apparently. When it comes to military might, both the UK and France are coasting on their past accomplishments and riding the coattails of the United States via NATO. For them to insist now that they can TOTALLY do this without the US is a joke.

And then President Trump pulled the rug out from underneath them. You gotta hand it to the president, he possesses an exquisite sense of timing. As Starmer and Macron were hosting their Zoom chat, Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz was officially open to all commercial traffic.

And to rub salt in it for Starmer and Macron, Iran issued a statement affirming what Trump had just said.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week.

Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries and international organizations, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”

As the meeting was underway, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister declared the strait open to commercial vessels. Oil prices plunged after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that passage for commercial vessels would remain “completely open” for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Trump in an all-caps social media post said that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships and ports would remain in force “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

Starmer cautiously welcomed the announcement, but said it must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.”

And you’ll never guess what happened next…

Oil prices plummeted more than 10% on Friday after Iran’s foreign minister said that the Strait of Hormuz will be open to all commercial shipping traffic for the duration of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Prices for West Texas Intermediate crude fell over 10% to under $85 a barrel, while Brent crude oil prices dropped more than 10% to around $89 a barrel.

The plunge in oil prices comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. The ceasefire began on Thursday, and President Donald Trump told reporters the ceasefire would include Iran-backed Hezbollah.

And as for NATO, the UK, and France – the president had a message for them.

𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗝. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬:𝟭𝟯 𝗔𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝟬𝟰.𝟭𝟳.𝟮𝟲

Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS…

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 17, 2026

Ouch. That has to sting. I mean, Starmer and Macron really thought that they were big important world leaders, and then they got shown up in the middle of their meeting by Donald Trump. But honestly, what could you expect from two twits who believed recognizing a state of “Palestine” was a good idea?

Well, at least Keir Starmer got a trip to Paris out of all of this, right?

Featured image: President Donald Trump on September 23, 2025, official White House Photo by Daniel Torok, cropped, public domain