Trump: "No need for NATO support... same goes for Japan, Australia and South Korea"

U.S. President Donald Trump, who had pressured allies to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint for global energy shipments controlled by Iran—has reversed course, saying "no further support is needed," as the United States remains at war with Iran.

On the morning of the 17th (local time), Trump wrote on his social networking service (SNS) Truth Social that "the United States has been informed by most NATO allies that they do not wish to be involved in our military operation against Iran, a terrorist regime," adding, "even though nearly every country strongly agrees with what we are doing and with the fact that Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons in any form or manner."

He continued, "I am not surprised by their actions," saying, "because I have always thought of NATO as a 'one-way street'—we spend hundreds of billions of dollars every year to protect them, but they do nothing for us, especially when we need it."

He added, "Fortunately, we have destroyed the Iranian military," saying, "the navy and air force, air defenses and radar are gone, and perhaps most importantly, leadership at nearly every level has been eliminated so they can never again threaten us, our Middle East allies, or the world."

He also said, "Because of the fact that we achieved this military success, we no longer need or want support from NATO members," adding, "We never did. The same goes for Japan, Australia and South Korea. As President of the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world, we do not need anyone’s help."

Ahead of a summit with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House in Washington, D.C., Trump again voiced disappointment with NATO.

Asked what progress had been made in persuading allies to support the United States in escorting oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Trump replied, "We don’t really need much help, and in fact we don’t need any help."

He also said, "All NATO allies expressed full support, but they didn’t want to help us," judging that "Iran was a tremendous threat and effectively a threat to every NATO member." He added, "But if they say they won’t actually help us, I think they are very foolish."

He then referred to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, saying, "We are helping them, but they are not helping us," adding, "I think this is a very wrong situation."

However, immediate retaliatory steps or a review of ties are not expected. Trump said, "No (retaliation), but I don’t think it’s good for the partnership," adding, "I’m disappointed in NATO. We have spent trillions of dollars over years for NATO—truly enormous sums—and one of the reasons the United States runs a fiscal deficit is precisely that." Still, he underscored that "there is nothing specific being reviewed at this time."

Trump’s emphasis that he "does not need anyone’s help" has also prompted speculation that there could be changes to the Trump administration’s concept of a "Hormuz coalition." Another interpretation is that, rather than forcefully pushing to form a Hormuz coalition, Washington could shift toward seeking support in other ways.

Kim So-yeon, Hankyung.com reporter sue123@hankyung.com