US President Donald Trump has attacked NATO member states for their lack of support for the war against Iran. “Without the US, NATO is a PAPER TIGER!” Trump said this in a post on the social network.
Trump has criticized NATO allies who have rejected his calls in recent days to ensure the safety of shipping through the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz.
“Now this fight is won militarily, with very little danger to them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but they don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the only reason for the high oil prices,” Trump said.
Trump hits out at NATO
“It’s so easy for them, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we WILL REMEMBER!” the US president added.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
In response to the US-Israeli attacks on the country, Iran imposed a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20-21 million barrels of oil and oil products pass daily, accounting for about 20-25% of the world’s total seaborne oil trade. This led to a significant increase in world oil prices.
Trump is urging allies to help protect the critical waterway to ease a bottleneck for oil exports from the region.
None of the countries that Trump called for help were consulted before the US-Israeli attack on Iran was launched.
World powers divided in the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada pledged in a joint statement on Thursday to join “appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait”. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made it clear that this presupposes an end to the fighting.
Speaking after a European Union summit in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron said defending international law and promoting de-escalation was “the best thing we can do”, adding: “I have not heard anyone here expressing a willingness to enter this conflict – quite the opposite.”
Trump vs NATO
Trump has a long history of being skeptical of NATO and in recent days has criticized the Western military alliance for not helping the US and Israel.
Trump complained that NATO allies counted on tens of billions of dollars in US aid to Ukraine to stave off a Russian invasion, but could not return the favor to help the US and Israel in their efforts to counter Iran, which for years has posed a threat to the Middle East and beyond.
“We’re going to protect them, but they’re not going to do anything for us, especially in times of need,” Trump said in a Truth Social post earlier this week.
