Former US president Donald Trump says Washington may not defend NATO allies after they refused to send troops to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
MIAMI: US president Donald Trump has warned that the United States may not come to the defence of its NATO allies if called upon. He made the remarks in response to their refusal to deploy military forces to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“They just weren’t there,” Trump said at an investment forum in Miami. “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them, and we would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?”
He questioned why the US should support allies who did not reciprocate during a time of need. The comments mark a significant escalation in his long-running criticism of the transatlantic alliance.
Trump has repeatedly voiced frustration over Western allies’ lack of support since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran a month ago. Key powers have been reluctant to commit forces to help reopen the vital sea lane.
Traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz has ground to a virtual standstill due to the threat of Iranian attacks. This has led to a sharp surge in global energy prices.
Six key powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, say they are ready to “contribute to appropriate efforts”. They have not, however, made any firm military commitment.
Trump reserved some of his toughest criticism for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week. He dubbed its other members “COWARDS” and declared the alliance a “paper tiger” without the United States.
On Thursday, he said on his Truth Social platform that the United States “needs nothing from NATO”. He accused NATO nations of doing “absolutely nothing” to help against Iran.