US President Donald Trump boldly asserted on Tuesday that the US “no longer needs or wants” help from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after Japan, Australia and other nations refused to join the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
“Since we have achieved such military success, we no longer “need” or want help from NATO countries – WE NEVER DID! Neither did Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as the President of the United States of America, by far the most powerful country anywhere in the world, we DO NOT NEED ANYONE’S HELP in this matter! Thank you for your attention Trump.
Trump’s post comes after he renewed calls for international partners to help restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and urged nations that rely on the critical oil transit corridor to do their part to protect the waterway.
“We strongly urge other nations to engage with us and engage quickly and with great enthusiasm,” POTUS said earlier.
Trump said in his post that he was not surprised by the attitude of NATO allies, further criticizing the alliance as a “one-way street” and claiming that Washington spends heavily on the defense of allied nations without receiving mutual support in times of need.
Iran is reportedly attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz amid its wave of retaliatory attacks – which it launched after a joint Israeli-US attack on the Islamic Republic on February 28. Explosions were also reported in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other key bases in the Middle East – which are also home to US military bases.
Is the Strait of Hormuz open?
On Saturday, Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi said the strait remains open to all countries except its “enemies”.
Speaking to MS Now, Araghchi said: “Actually, this Strait of Hormuz is open. It is closed only to tankers and ships belonging to our enemies, those who are attacking us and allies. Others can pass freely,” he said.
Why is the strait important?
The Strait of Hormuz is the only maritime link between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and serves as a key route for about a quarter of the world’s liquefied natural gas exports and by sea from the Gulf countries to global markets.
Trump said Sunday that his administration is in contact with seven countries about helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but declined to name them.
Separately, in an interview with the Financial Times, the US president argued that reopening the strait should be a joint effort by the beneficiaries of trade through the region and warned NATO of dire consequences if no help came.
How have the allies responded so far?
Australia and Japan on Monday ruled out sending naval vessels to the Persian Gulf to defend ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz – while the response from other US allies, including the UK, was muted.
Germany also ruled out participation: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told ARD television.
