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Xinhua News Agency, Washington, March 17. When meeting with visiting Irish Prime Minister Martin at the White House on the 17th, US President Trump once again expressed dissatisfaction with NATO allies for not participating in the escort operation planned to be launched by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that he was "disappointed" in NATO.
Trump told reporters that "NATO is making a very stupid mistake." "I wonder if NATO will support us. So it's a good test because we don't need them, but they should be there," he said. "The United States has to remember this because we think this is very shocking."
Trump claimed that the United States has invested "trillions of dollars" in NATO over the years, which is one of the reasons for the United States' fiscal deficit. However, in response to a question about whether to reconsider the relationship between the United States and NATO, he said "there are no plans at the moment."
Trump declared that it “won’t be long” before safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is possible. He also said that the United States is not yet ready to end the conflict with Iran, but "we will leave in the near future."
The United States and Israel launched large-scale military operations against Iran on February 28, and Iran launched counterattacks against Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Affected by the war, shipping in the Strait of Hormuz was almost completely disrupted.
In recent days, Trump has continuously urged European countries and other allies to participate in escorting the Strait of Hormuz, and complained that some allies are "not enthusiastic" about assisting the United States. Earlier on the 17th, Trump posted on social media that most NATO "allies" had informed the United States that they were unwilling to participate in US-Israeli military operations against Iran, and that the United States "no longer needs or expects" the help of NATO countries.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Karas stated on the 16th that this is "not a European war" and "no one wants to be actively involved in this war." EU member states have no intention of extending the current "Shield" escort operation in the Red Sea and Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz.
