Prime minister Rob Jetten has said the Netherlands will not take part in an international mission in the Strait of Hormuz, despite Nato allies coming under pressure from Donald Trump to help escort oil tankers in the Gulf.

On his first visit to Berlin since his cabinet was sworn in, Jetten aligned Dutch policy closely to Germany at a joint press conference with chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“We have to be honest,” he told journalists. “With the current number of attacks taking place, it is going to be very difficult to put a mission in place in the short term.”

Jetten’s early visit to Berlin aims to rekindle relations between the two neighbours and trading partners, which cooled during Dick Schoof’s premiership. Schoof visited Germany twice during his year in office, both times to reaffirm Dutch support for Ukraine.

Jetten received a guard of honour from the Wachbataillon as he arrived at the Chancellery, a distinction that was denied to Schoof, indicating the desire of both sides to restore the close relations between Mark Rutte and Angela Merkel.

Merz has been highly critical of Trump’s bombing campaign in Iran, saying he will not commit German forces because the war has “nothing to do with Nato”. He agreed with the aim of removing the Iranian clerical regime, but said an “eternal war with unclear goals” was the wrong strategy.

“It must be replaced by a democratically legitimate government,” he said. “But bombing that into existence will, based on all the experience we have gathered in previous years and decades, in all likelihood not succeed.”

Jetten struck a slightly more conciliatory tone, saying: “As always the Netherlands is open to suggestions, but at the moment there is no firm plan on the table.”

Trump told Nato allies that the partnership faced a “very bad” future if they did not respond positively to his requests for support to escort oil tankers through the strait, which has been effectively closed by the threat of Iranian attacks.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” he told the Financial Times.