Trump says NATO's refusal to help on Iran is 'very foolish mistake'
"Everyone agrees with us, but they don't want to help," US President Donald Trump says of the NATO allies.
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Mar 17) said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake".
But Trump gave no indication that he plans to punish NATO allies for their stances, as he took questions from reporters in the Oval Office during the St Patrick's Day visit of Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
Trump said NATO countries were supportive of the joint US-Israeli war, which has now entered its third week, even as they did not want to get involved.
"I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake," Trump said.
"Everyone agrees with us, but they don't want to help. And we, you know, we as the United States have to remember that because we think it's pretty shocking," he added.
As for whether he would retaliate against NATO allies for holding back, Trump said he had "nothing currently in mind".
The president in the past has threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO but did not bring that up on Tuesday.
Trump called on nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil is transported, after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers.
But several US allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to help unblock the strait, effectively rebuffing Trump's plea for military support.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer 'need', or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance - WE NEVER DID!" He singled out Japan, Australia and South Korea.
Trump's call on US allies was "definitely a test" not just for the leadership of these countries, but also for their alliances with the US, said Sheila Smith, John E Merow senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at American think-tank Council on Foreign Relations.
"I don't think this war is very popular, whether it be in Japan, South Korea or Australia. But the demand that allied forces support the United States without prior consultation on the war is not going to sit very well in any of those countries," she told CNA's Asia First.
She noted that Japan is "very careful" about how it deploys its Self-Defense Forces.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday said Tokyo will "make the most appropriate decision based on what Japan can do within its legal framework".
Takaichi is set to travel to Washington for the Japan-US summit meeting on Thursday. The Strait of Hormuz will prove a "difficult topic" for her then, Smith noted.
"I don't think she'll be able to please (Trump) in terms of sending the Self-Defense Forces immediately to the region," Smith added.
"But we should remember, in the past, Japanese mine sweepers have cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz, but only in peace time, only after conflict was over."
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