US president Donald Trump today accused NATO countries of being cowards, vowing the United States will remember their refusal to help protect the Strait of Hormuz.
“Without the United States, NATO is a paper tiger. They didn’t want to join the battle to stop a nuclear-armed Iran. Now that the military battle is won, with very little danger to them, they complain about the high oil prices they have to pay but won’t help open the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “COWARDS, and we will remember!” he added in capital letters.
Trump has been calling on European NATO members as well as Japan and South Korea to help secure the Strait of Hormuz — a vital chokepoint for global hydrocarbon trade. Iran has been attacking tankers attempting to transit the passage after declaring it would target vessels linked to the United States and Israel.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Germany refuses Trump’s appeal to guarantee security in the Strait of Hormuz (with video)
During a White House meeting on Thursday with Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump said Tokyo has shown openness to stepping up its involvement in defending the strait. “We have been receiving extraordinary support and a great relationship with Japan,” he said, adding that he expects the Asian country to “intensify its involvement” — then pausing before adding: “Not like NATO.”
In the same remarks, Trump reiterated that the United States “doesn’t need” external help, despite having asked on multiple occasions for other countries to join escort operations in the Gulf passage. He also argued that the US does not rely on the Strait of Hormuz for its own energy trade.
“We don’t use the strait. We are defending it for everyone else,” Trump said at the White House. He nonetheless acknowledged that NATO allies “are becoming more friendly” in response to Washington’s demands.
