The U.S. went to war without its allies. Now it wants their help
Mar 16, 2026•8 min
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Episode description
President Trump launched the war against Iran without building a coalition of U.S. allies.
Only now is the president trying to enlist allies to help end Iran’s effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
And many of the countries he’s asked – are rejecting Trump’s request.
Can the U.S. get its allies to help after going to war with Iran, and if they do, can the Strait of Hormuz really be secured?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rebekah Metzler and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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Only now is the president trying to enlist allies to help end Iran’s effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
And many of the countries he’s asked – are rejecting Trump’s request.
Can the U.S. get its allies to help after going to war with Iran, and if they do, can the Strait of Hormuz really be secured?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rebekah Metzler and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
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