US President Donald Trump lashed out on social media at several NATO allies for opposing the formation of an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Allies that have kept their distance from Washington\u2019s call say the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran without prior consultation.<\/p>\n
Trump wrote: \u201cAfter achieving such a major military success, we no longer need the help of NATO countries, nor do we want it, nor have we ever wanted it. Likewise, we do not need the help of Japan, Australia or South Korea. As the President of the United States, the most powerful country in the world, I say we do not need anyone\u2019s help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump accuses allies of ingratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump said most NATO members had previously agreed that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, yet refused to join the US-led military operation.<\/p>\n The US president accused allies of abandoning Washington after benefiting for years from the American security umbrella, saying the alliance had become \u201ca one-way relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also said the war had eliminated Iran\u2019s military capacity. He stated that Iran\u2019s navy, air force and air defence infrastructure had been destroyed, and that some figures within Iran\u2019s leadership had been neutralised.<\/p>\n European capitals reject military participation<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s remarks came after European governments publicly rejected participation in a US-led naval operation aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed following Iran\u2019s response to US and Israeli strikes on February 28.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: \u201cThis is not NATO\u2019s war.\u201d The spokesperson added that Washington had not consulted European capitals before launching the process and therefore the matter was \u201cnot the responsibility of NATO or the German government.\u201d<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK \u201cwill not be drawn into a wider war\u201d and confirmed that no warships would be deployed to the operation.<\/p>\n Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece and Europe would not take part in any military operation near Iran.<\/p>\n Mitsotakis said: \u201cThe simple answer is no. Greece will not participate in any activity around the current operational theatre. I believe Europe will not be militarily involved in this conflict but should focus on the economic consequences of the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron also stressed that Paris \u201cwill not participate in operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz under current conditions\u201d and that France \u201cis not a party to this conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n Hormuz crisis rattles energy markets<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, European Union leaders are preparing to meet in Brussels on Thursday to assess short-term measures to reduce electricity prices.<\/p>\n At the heart of the crisis is Iran\u2019s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to US and Israeli strikes. Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply transits through the waterway, and its closure has pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" US President Donald Trump lashed out on social media at several NATO allies for opposing the formation of an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Allies that have kept their distance from Washington\u2019s call say the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran without prior consultation. Trump wrote: \u201cAfter achieving such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[175],"tags":[7546,319,2311,805,2320,10762,288,812,2725,1200,17353,207,17352,5945,17354,10763,5277,821],"class_list":["post-14106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diplomacy","tag-brussels","tag-donald-trump","tag-emmanuel-macron","tag-european-union","tag-friedrich-merz","tag-global-energy-supply","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-keir-starmer","tag-kyriakos-mitsotakis","tag-military-coalition","tag-nato","tag-naval-operation","tag-oil-prices","tag-security-umbrella","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-transatlantic-relations","tag-us"],"yoast_head":"\n