Trump says ‘useless’ NATO should ‘keep away’ from the Strait of Hormuz

(SeaPRwire) –   The US president has once more criticized the military alliance for failing to assist Washington in the conflict with Iran

US President Donald Trump has again criticized NATO, emphasizing that he does not require its assistance in the Strait of Hormuz. He stated the alliance was “useless when needed” during the war with Iran.

On Friday afternoon, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the crucial oil and gas shipping route was “completely open” to all commercial vessels for the rest of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which is scheduled to conclude next week.

Merely an hour later, Trump posted on Truth Social to confirm the Strait of Hormuz was open, later asserting that Tehran had agreed to “never close it again.” He also emphasized that the US regional blockade targeting Iranian vessels would persist until Washington’s conditions were satisfied.

For weeks, Trump has condemned his European NATO allies for not participating in the war against Iran, after the nation blocked the strait to vessels from countries it deemed hostile. The US president implied this could lead to the US exiting the military alliance.

France, a NATO member which sent its flagship aircraft carrier and multiple warships to the Middle East during the hostilities, held a meeting of European leaders in Paris on Friday to address the circumstances surrounding the Strait of Hormuz closure.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who co-chaired the meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, stated that London and Paris would initiate a “multi-national mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.”

Trump had previously charged Starmer with being a fair-weather friend earlier in the Iran conflict. In a Wednesday interview with Sky News, the US president indicated he might reconsider the trade agreement Washington made with London last year, which spared the UK from his tariff offensive.