Trump says Nato faces ‘very bad future’ as US calls on allies to help secure Strait of Hormuz
The warning comes after Iran shut down the vital shipping waterway in the Gulf of Oman amid the Middle East war.
Donald Trump has questioned the future of the Nato alliance as he called on America’s allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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The warning comes after Iran shut down the vital shipping waterway in the Gulf of Oman amid the Middle East war.
"If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” Trump warned on Sunday evening.
“We’ll see if they help us. Because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them but they won’t be there for us,” he told the Financial Times.
It's a call that appeared to directly contradict previous comments made by the US President, after telling Starmer the UK shouldn't 'join wars after we've already won'.
He added that the US didn’t have to help Nato allies with Ukraine as it is “thousands of miles away from us but we helped them.”
The UK appears unlikely to agree to the US president’s call for allies to contribute warships to a mission to protect shipping passing through the waterway from Iranian attacks.
Sir Keir on Sunday did not heed calls from Mr Trump to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more: Iran considering allowing 'Chinese-linked ships' through Strait of Hormuz
The Prime minister spoke to Mr Trump for the first time since the US president called for help from other nations.The pair “discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs worldwide”, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
But there was no response from the Prime Minister to the President’s call for the UK and other nations impacted by the blockade to send warships to the region to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Britain could send mine-hunting drones to the region as the Government seeks to stave off criticism from Mr Trump for ignoring his call for warships.
Late on Sunday, Mr Trump said he has directly approached seven countries to help reopen and protect the Strait of Hormuz, but said it was too early to say which ones would agree."
I really am demanding these countries come in and protect their own territory - because it is their territory - it's the place from which they get their energy and they should help us protect it," he wrote on Truth Social.
He said the mission is a "very small endeavour" as Iran's missile and drone capability had been "decimated".
It comes a day after urged China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join a "team effort" to reopen the Strait.
He wrote on Truth Social that "many countries" would be sending warships in alongside with the US to help keep the strait "open and safe".
Mr Trump claimed "100% of Iran's military capability" had already been decimated, but warned Tehran could still "send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway".
"Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated," he said on Saturday.
Mr Trump added: "In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"