Mr. Trump: NATO ‘cowardly’

“Without America, NATO is just a paper tiger,” US President Donald Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social on March 20, accusing members of this military alliance of not wanting to participate in the war against Iran.

He affirmed that the war “was won militarily”, saying that NATO members “keep complaining about high oil prices but do not want to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz”, emphasizing that this is the only reason pushing up oil prices.

“Too easy for them, with too little risk. What cowards, and we will remember,” the US President wrote.

Mr. Trump recently called on NATO and a number of countries around the world to deploy warships to help clear the Strait of Hormuz, which is almost blockaded by Iran, paralyzing this vital maritime route.

Six major powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said on March 19 that they were willing to “contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz, but have not officially committed to any specific action.

Germany and Italy have ruled out doing anything before there is a ceasefire agreement for the current conflict in the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after the European Union (EU) summit in Brussels that protecting international law and promoting de-escalation is “the best thing we can do”.

“I have not heard anyone here express a desire to participate in this conflict, quite the opposite,” he said.

Mr. Trump has long expressed skepticism about the role of the Western military alliance and has repeatedly criticized NATO in recent days. He even said that the US needs to reconsider its membership in NATO.

Since the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel broke out in late February, activities in the Strait of Hormuz have almost completely stagnated. This maritime route transports about 20% of global oil supply. In addition, raids on oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf in recent days have further shaken the energy market, with oil prices continuously increasing.