WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that "numerous countries" had agreed to join his naval coalition to blockade Iranian ports, a development that Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Poland and the NATO alliance subsequently described as news to them.

Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said coalition members were "on their way," adding that some "have to travel an ocean," which officials said accounted for the coalition's continued non-appearance. He expressed particular gratitude to Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, none of which has publicly confirmed membership in any coalition.

"Qatar has been great. UAE has been absolutely great," Trump said, in remarks that Qatari and Emirati officials did not immediately endorse, deny, or acknowledge.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whom Trump had earlier awarded an "8 out of 10" for coalition enthusiasm following a phone call, said France would "never" participate in operations to open the strait under current conditions, a position French officials described as consistent with the "8 out of 10" Trump had given it. Macron is planning a separate post-war coalition that does not involve the United States, which Trump said demonstrated France's willingness to help.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, asking what a "handful of European frigates" could accomplish that the most powerful navy in human history could not, said Germany had no plans to join a war it had not been consulted on before it started. The German government noted that Washington had "explicitly stated at the outset of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired," a position Trump confirmed on Tuesday by saying "we don't need any help" on the Strait of Hormuz, hours after appealing for help on the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain's Prime Minister, whom Trump compared to Neville Chamberlain for the second time in a fortnight, said the UK was focused on keeping the strait open rather than closed, which the Prime Minister described as a different objective from the blockade. The UK has mine-hunting drones that could be deployed once the situation stabilises, a timeline Trump said he found "very, very disappointing."

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who as recently as February had called European defence without the United States a "silly thought," is scheduled to visit Washington next week. Analysts said the visit would focus on restoring an alliance Trump described as making "a very foolish mistake" by declining to join a war it first learned about when it started.

Oil remained above $100 a barrel. Peace talks in Islamabad had collapsed the previous day over the question of Iranian nuclear capability, which Trump said was "the only point that really mattered." Asked whether the absence of a coalition, a ceasefire, or a diplomatic agreement complicated the blockade's objectives, a White House spokesperson said the president's position had been made clear.