Trump says US should rethink NATO membership and rebukes allies for not helping in Iran

President Donald Trump said the United States should rethink its membership in NATO as he criticized US allies for not helping in the war in Iran.

NATO membership, Trump said, is “certainly something that we should think about,” as he criticized US allies for rebuffing his requests for help. Addressing reporters in at the White House, Trump said that the US was not obliged to help when Russia invaded Ukraine, appearing to equate the war there with the war in Iran.

“We help them, and they didn’t help us, and I think that’s a very bad thing for NATO,” Trump said.

Trump said that NATO allies were supportive of the US goal of stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon – but they were reluctant to get involved in the war.

“Nobody wants to have Iran within nuclear because these people are crazy. They’re absolutely crazy, and they’re vicious, violent,” Trump said. “Everyone agrees with this, but they don’t want to help.”

He said the US had taken note. “We, as the United States, have to remember that, because we think it’s pretty shocking,” he said. But pressed on whether there would be any repercussions for NATO, Trump said, “Well, no, I just think that it’s not good for a partnership, when they say, ‘what you’re doing is a great thing, but we’re not going to help.’”

Source: CNN

- Agencies