Trump Demands NATO Countries Aid US War on Iran

by | Mar 16, 2026

Trump Demands NATO Countries Aid US War on Iran

by | Mar 16, 2026

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President Donald Trump threatened a “very bad” future for NATO if its members do not provide the US with support in the war with Iran. 

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait [of Hormuz] will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump told The Financial Times on Sunday. “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”

The remarks were the second statement from Trump in recent days demanding that other countries help the US in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has blocked almost all shipping through the waterway since a surprise attack by the US and Israel ignited a region-wide war. 

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called on Asian nations, including South Korea and China, to join an international coalition to reopen the Strait. 

“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.”

According to officials speaking with Axios, the White House spent the weekend making phone calls to other capitals attempting to rally support for Trump’s coalition; however, no countries have committed. In his remarks to The Financial Times, Trump suggested that he could delay his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi if Beijing refuses to assist. 

On Monday, Germany said it would not participate in the coalition. “What does . . . Donald Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to ​do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful U.S. Navy cannot do?” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius explained. “This is not our war, we have not started it.”

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman.

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