President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the U.S.’ NATO allies over their reluctance to get involved in the Iran war, before asserting that the U.S. does not need any help with its ongoing military operations.
The alliance of 32 European and North American nations is “making a very foolish mistake,” Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with the prime minister of Ireland, which is not a NATO member.
Trump, a longtime NATO critic who has accused the organization of taking advantage of the U.S.’ spending and military strength, called the members’ hesitance to join the Iran war “a great test, because we don’t need them, but they should have been there.”
Trump has claimed in recent days that numerous countries would be joining a coalition to aid the U.S. in Iran, including by helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route that has been choked off amid the war.
He has called on “the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait” to “take care of that passage.” But so far, no NATO countries have firmly committed to doing so.
In a Truth Social post earlier Tuesday, Trump said he was “not surprised” at NATO because he views it as a “one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us.”
“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!” Trump wrote.
Oil prices rose shortly after Trump’s post, which cast doubt on the prospect that a multistate coalition will reopen the key strait.
Trump, in his Oval Office remarks, also suggested that his much-anticipated trip to China to meet with President Xi Jinping would take place in “about five or six weeks.”
Trump was expected to depart for the summit at the end of March, but his administration signaled in recent days that a delay was likely.
The scheduling changes coincided with new turbulence between the two superpowers, related to the war against Iran — a major seller of oil to China — and a new U.S. investigation into Chinese trade practices.
