Trump: NATO must help in Iran – or a very bad future awaits

U.S. President Donald Trump is now issuing a clear warning to the country’s allies. According to him, NATO risks a very difficult future if member states do not contribute to the conflict against Iran. Trump also mentioned that Russia is likely assisting Iran with intelligence, but said he cannot do much about it because the U.S. is simultaneously supporting Ukraine in the war.

In an interview with Financial Times, Trump says that countries dependent on oil deliveries through the Strait of Hormuz should provide military support to secure shipping.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy transit routes. Around one fifth of the world’s oil passes through the channel between Iran and Oman.

After the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran about two weeks ago, Iran has effectively closed the strait and threatened to attack passing ships, sparking concerns about dramatic new increases in oil prices.

Nevertheless, while Trump claims that the U.S. and Israel have destroyed Iran’s regime and severely weakened the country’s military, he urges Europe to step in with assistance.

– They have no navy, no air defense, no air force – everything is gone. The only thing they can do is cause some trouble by laying a mine in the water – an annoyance, but still something that can create problems.

– It’s only reasonable that those who rely on the strait help ensure nothing bad happens there.

Trump argues that Europe and China are much more dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf than the U.S. is – and should therefore contribute more to reopening the strait.

– I think China should help too because China gets 90 percent of its oil from the strait, he said.

Montage by Samnytt. Ships are attacked at the strait. Photo: U.S. Navy J. Alexander Delgado / Faksimil X

Questions why the U.S. should help Ukraine

Trump doubts that the U.S.’s NATO allies would step in to help despite his urging.

– If there’s no response, or if the response is negative, I think it will be very bad for NATO’s future, the president said.

Trump doubts that America’s NATO allies will step up despite his appeals. He is particularly irritated with the UK, which he believes should be the USA’s main ally, but has not contributed enough despite his requests for assistance. According to Trump, they simply do not want to get involved.

– We have something called NATO. We’ve been very kind. We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us… but we helped them, he said, continuing:

– Now we’ll see if they’ll help us. I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them, but they won’t be there for us. And I’m not sure they ever will.

The American president was asked what kind of support he wants from NATO countries in the war against Iran. He answered:

– Whatever it takes.

Trump made it clear that he wants to see military action from NATO targeting the Iranian military along the coast. According to the Financial Times, Trump has hinted that the European NATO countries could deploy special forces in Iran.

Trump: Hard to say to Russia

The American president was also asked if Russia is helping its trading partner Iran in the ongoing war. Trump believes this is the case – particularly regarding satellite data for targeted attacks against American and Israeli air defense systems.

– But you could also argue that we helped Ukraine to some extent. It’s hard to say: “You’re targeting us,” when we’ve helped Ukraine.

– So it’s hard to say: “What are you doing?” when we’ve done the same thing, Trump said about the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Government: Not considering providing help

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) has commented on Trump’s demands, saying that Sweden has not received any request to contribute militarily to the conflict against Iran. He added that Sweden’s focus remains on the war in Ukraine.

– We have not received any such request from the U.S., and it’s not currently under consideration either. We are focused on the northern part of the NATO flank, Jonson told TV4.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) has previously made it clear to the TT news agency that Sweden does not plan any support in the Strait of Hormuz.

– It’s not something being considered at this time, Kristersson said.