Trump Warns NATO’s Future at Risk Without Cooperation on Iran
Donald Trump, President of the United States, warned in an interview with the Financial Times that NATO faces a “very bad future” if U.S. allies do not cooperate on the issue of Iran. He emphasized that this cooperation is especially important in relation to developments in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump pointed to the dependence of European countries and China on Persian Gulf oil, stating that these countries benefit more than the U.S. from the Strait of Hormuz. He said, “It would be better if those who benefit from the Strait of Hormuz help ensure that nothing bad happens there.”
The U.S. president cautioned that if the response from allies is negative or if the necessary cooperation does not occur, this could have adverse consequences for NATO’s future. He stressed that such a scenario would harm the cohesion and effectiveness of this military alliance.
Trump implicitly suggested that European commando teams or other forms of military assistance could be employed to counter what he described as “harassment” by Iranian forces using drones and naval mines in the Persian Gulf.
He also called on Beijing to cooperate with the United States in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, noting that China imports a major portion of its required oil through this route. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, through which a significant share of the region’s oil exports pass.
