President Donald Trump has long questioned whether NATO allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them.”
In an interview with the right-leaning newspaper The Telegraph published Wednesday, Trump expressed renewed frustration over what he perceives as weak support from the alliance for the U.S.-Israel operations against Iran. He suggested that the U.S. might reconsider its NATO membership after the conflict.
Trump’s stance has alarmed NATO members because the alliance is a defensive, not offensive, organization. Article 5 of the NATO treaty enshrines the principle of collective defense, stating that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, CNN reports.
Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the September 11 attacks against the United States. Over 1,100 non-American troops were killed as allies joined the U.S. in its subsequent war in Afghanistan—a campaign Trump has previously criticized as under-supported by NATO partners.
Since the U.S. has not been attacked by Iran, NATO allies emphasize that they are under no obligation to participate in U.S.-Israel operations in the Middle East.
Trump, however, frames the situation differently. He has repeatedly argued that NATO allies should assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz—a key shipping route for oil effectively blocked by Iran in response to U.S.-Israel attacks—because these countries purchase oil that normally passes through the strait.
“Find some courage, go to the Strait and just TAKE IT,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourselves; the U.S. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
