Washington, March 17 (IANS) President Donald Trump said Tuesday that most NATO allies have declined to join the US military operation against Iran, criticising the alliance and asserting that Washington does not need foreign support.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” Trump said in a statement.
He added that despite their reluctance, “almost every country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump said he was not surprised by NATO members' response. “I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” he said.
He also claimed that US forces had significantly degraded Iran’s military capability. “Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military — Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone, and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone,” Trump said.
He said that because of those gains, allied support was no longer necessary. “Because we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!” he said.
Trump extended the same position to key US partners in Asia. “Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea,” he said, adding: “WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”
The comments build on remarks Trump made a day earlier in the Oval Office, where he expressed frustration that some US allies were not willing to contribute militarily.
“What does surprise me is that they’re not eager to help,” Trump said. “There are some countries that greatly disappointed me.”
Referring to Britain, Trump said: “When I hear the UK, which was sort of considered the Rolls Royce of allies,” he had asked that “it would be really helpful if you’d send over a couple of ships and if you have some minesweepers, which they do, be very helpful.”
He said the response fell short of expectations. “He says, well, I’d like to ask my team,” Trump said. “I said, you don’t have to worry about a team. You don’t have a team. You’re the prime minister, you can make a decision.”
Trump said later offers of support did not carry weight. “I said, I don’t want them anymore. I don’t want them after we win, I want them before we start. I don’t need your aircraft carriers after we’ve already won.”
He also linked the issue to long-standing US troop deployments abroad. “We have 45,000 troops in Japan. We have 45,000 troops in South Korea. We have 45,000, 50,000 troops in Germany,” he said. “We defend all these countries.”
Trump framed the situation as validation of his long-standing criticism of the burden-sharing in the alliance. “I’ve been saying it for a long time, this is the greatest thing to come out of this,” he said, referring to the current conflict.
NATO, formed in 1949, operates on the principle of collective defence, with the United States as its largest military and financial contributor. Burden-sharing has been a recurring source of friction, with Washington often urging allies to increase defence spending and participation in joint operations.
Iran’s nuclear programme and regional activities have long been central to US policy in the Middle East. Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement during his first term, arguing it did not permanently prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
--IANS
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