Very bad future for Nato if allies don't help reopen Strait of Hormuz, warns Trump

US President Donald Trump has warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) could face a “very bad” future if its member states fail to support Washington’s efforts to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.

In an interview with the British daily Financial Times, Trump urged allies, particularly European countries, to join what he described as a “team effort” to secure the key maritime chokepoint through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The waterway has been largely blocked by Iran following the outbreak of the war more than two weeks ago.

"It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there. If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato," Trump said, arguing that Europe and China are heavily dependent on oil from the Gulf, unlike the US.

Nato is a military alliance of 31 countries from North America and Europe formed to provide collective defence, meaning an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The US is Nato’s most powerful member and plays a leading role by providing the largest share of military capabilities, funding, and strategic leadership within the alliance.

“We have a thing called Nato. We’ve been very sweet. We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us... But we helped them. Now we’ll see if they help us. Because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them, but they won’t be there for us. And I’m not sure that they’d be there," the Financial Times quoted the US President as saying.

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