Washington DC [US], March 17 : US President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticised the NATO allies for what he described as their reluctance to support the United States in its ongoing conflict with Iran, calling their stance a "very foolish mistake".
Speaking during a discussion with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House, Trump asserted that while NATO members supported US actions in principle, they failed to provide tangible assistance.
Trump stated that NATO allies had endorsed US strikes targeting Iran's nuclear capabilities but stopped short of active involvement.
"Well, we don't need too much help, and we don't need any help actually. In fact, we just put out a notice I was watching over the last couple of weeks, and all of our NATO allies were very much in favour of what we did. They thought it was very important. We were just discussing it; actually, it's very important that we take out the nuclear threat from Iran, and we've done that very strongly, very powerfully," Trump said.
He claimed that US military operations had significantly degraded Iran's military strength, stating that its air force, navy, and radar systems had been "wiped out" or "decimated".
Despite emphasising that the US could act independently, Trump questioned NATO's reliability.
"I was surprised to see that NATO, while they agreed that it was a very important thing to do, agreed fully; nobody said, 'Oh, you shouldn't do it.' I think NATO's making a very foolish mistake. I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. This is a great test, because we don't need them, but they should have been there. When they say it was a threat, but we're not gonna help, I think they're very foolish. I think that's a very bad thing for NATO," he said.
Trump also drew comparisons with US support for Ukraine, criticising previous American spending under former US President Joe Biden. "We helped them, and they didn't help us," he said, referring to NATO allies.
At the same time, Trump highlighted strong backing from Middle Eastern partners amid the conflict in the region.
He said countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain had provided significant support and underscored close coordination with Israel, describing it as a "very strong collaboration" in ongoing operations.
"We've had great support from the Middle East. Qatar has been great. The UAE has been absolutely great. Saudi Arabia's been terrific. Bahrain has been very good. The Middle Eastern countries have been very strong in their support. Of course, Israel has been our partner. Israel's been very, very strong, along with us. It's been a very strong collaboration," he stated.
This development comes amid the escalating conflict that began on February 28 with the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel, after which Iran, in its retaliation, targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption in the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.
Due to the conflict in the region, Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route for global energy supply.
Following the death of Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the former leader, was appointed as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.