President Donald Trump has said that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport conduit effectively shut by Iran.
In a brief interview with The Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said that as the United States has aided Ukraine in the war with Russia, he expects Europe to help on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has sent energy prices soaring around the world.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” said Trump, who over the years has criticised the alliance as freeloading on US largesse.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said.
Asked about specific help he was looking for, Trump told the FT he wanted minesweepers as well as “people who are going to knock out some bad actors that are along the [Iranian] shore.”
Deal with Iran