BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has briefed some capitals that US President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within the next few days for help securing the Strait of Hormuz, three European diplomats told Reuters on Thursday. Rutte met with Trump in Washington on Wednesday, amid tensions within the alliance over the Iran war.
“The Secretary General is in contact with Allies about his discussions in Washington,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on Thursday. “It’s clear that the United States expects concrete commitments and action to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” she added.
The US president has repeatedly called NATO a “paper ?tiger” and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks, arguing that Washington’s European allies have relied on US security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the US-Israeli bombing ?campaign in Iran.
“We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war,” said one of the diplomats.
“NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this could be helpful,” the diplomat said. Although Trump said on Tuesday the attacks on Iran would be paused under a two-week ceasefire, the fallout from the conflict has continued to strain ties.
Trump posted on Truth Social after the meeting in capitalized letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.”
Dutchman Rutte, known in Europe as a “Trump whisperer” and who has faced criticism for frequently praising the US leader, said in an interview with CNN after Wednesday’s meeting that Trump “is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point”.
A senior European official said “the NATO community is more worried right now than confident” and “the meeting did not take the worry away”.
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