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In a pointed message to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Donald Trump on Sunday urged the alliance to support the United States in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz or risk facing significant consequences.
“It makes sense for those who benefit from the strait to help ensure its security,” Trump expressed in a conversation with The Financial Times. “If NATO doesn’t respond positively, it could spell trouble for its future,” he added.
Reiterating his stance during a press gathering aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, D.C., from his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump emphasized the need for collective international effort. He stated, “It would be beneficial for other nations to join us in policing the area, and we’re ready to offer military support.”
Trump highlighted the U.S.’s longstanding commitment to NATO, citing support for Ukraine as an example. “We’re always there for NATO, even in situations like Ukraine, which doesn’t directly impact us,” he told reporters.
President Trump’s comments serve as a stern call for NATO to prioritize global defense efforts or face the potential of an uncertain future.
“But we’ve helped them,” he added, repeating his comments to the United Nations General Assembly last fall, questioning whether NATO will “always be there for us.”
Trump is looking for NATO allies’ assistance in securing the oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for the rest of the world. Trump administration officials have been repeating throughout the choking of the strait that the U.S. under Trump is a net exporter of oil and gets only a fraction of its oil from the Middle East – unlike the rest of the world, including NATO allies.
“It’d be interesting to see what country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the Strait open, and that, by comparison is a small [ask],” Trump added to reporters on Air Force One. “It’s small because Iran has very little firepower.”
A timelapse video shows marine traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)
Trump remained optimist that NATO allies will ultimately get on boardÂ
“We are talking to other countries about working with us, but the policing of the strait, and I think we’re getting a good response,” Trump told reporters on AF1. “If we do that’s great – and if we don’t, that’s great.”
The Iranian regime is using sea mines, which it has stockpiled in the thousands, to make traversing the Strait of Hormuz difficult and deadly. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Eranicle/iStock)
NATO has long been a point of contention for Trump, who had to repeatedly call on member organizations to reach even the 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spending threshold during his first administration. Current Trump U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker has hailed this second administration in getting NATO to commit 5% of GDP in defense spending.