Without Support for Attacking Iran, Trump Threatens to Exit NATO
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump stated that he is seriously considering pulling the United States out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) after the alliance refused to join the war against Iran. This represents the strongest indication yet that Washington no longer views Europe as a reliable defence partner.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Trump said, “I am seriously considering leaving NATO,” and described the transatlantic alliance as a “paper tiger”.
“Oh yes, I think this needs to be reconsidered,” Trump replied when asked if he would reconsider US membership, going on to criticise the bloc further. “I have never been impressed by NATO. I have always known that they are a paper tiger, and Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) knows that too.”
Trump’s comments come after NATO partners refused to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s key oil shipping routes. Tehran has effectively blocked the strait for weeks to hostile parties following aggression against the country. The action has caused global oil and gas prices to surge while threatening a global recession.
NATO was formed in the wake of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union after the Second World War. The alliance was a rival to the Warsaw Pact, which grouped communist Eastern Bloc countries. The NATO treaty stipulates that members must assist if a fellow member’s territory is attacked. However, in the context of this war, it was the US that first attacked Iran.
So far, all US allies in NATO in Europe have refused to join the war. Germany, France, and the UK, which usually accompany the US, have rejected involvement in the conflict. Spain has banned the use of its airspace for attacking Iran. Most recently, Poland has refused to return the Patriot missile defence system to the US.
European leaders insist that the illegal US-Israel attack on Iran is not their war. Germany, a close ally of the US and Israel, has even stated that the attack is illegal and disrupts the world order.
Trump said that when he attacked Iran and the Strait of Hormuz was closed, NATO allies should automatically help the US. “We are there automatically, including when Ukraine was attacked. Ukraine is not our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we will be there for them. But they are not there for us.”
Trump had previously ranted about the lack of assistance from countries other than Israel in attacking Iran. He told other countries to fetch their own oil from the currently blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump suggested that countries like the UK should build “courage” to go to the Strait of Hormuz and “take” their fuel themselves.
“You need to start learning how to fight for yourselves, the US will not be there to help you anymore, just as you were not there for us,” Trump said as he criticised countries that “refuse to get involved in the destruction of Iran”.