Khaberni - American President Donald Trump attacked U.S. allies, accusing them of betraying him in securing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and reiterated his criticisms of NATO (NATO) at a time when he announced a delay in his planned visit to China, confirming his country's ability to end the war against Iran in just one week.
Rebuking Allies and NATO
In statements late Monday, Trump said that Washington's allies had let him down by either refusing or coldly handling his call to send warships to secure commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and he considered that their stance confirms his long-held criticism of their excessive reliance on the American security umbrella, again questioning the merit of his country's commitments within NATO.
Here are some of his notable statements on this:
• "We spend trillions of dollars on NATO to defend other countries."
• "I've always said that when we need them, they won't be by our side."
• "Is it conceivable that we have protected you for 40 years and then you refuse to participate in something as minor as this?"
• "Europe and Japan and others rely on Gulf oil much more than the United States."
• "We do not need anyone, as we are the strongest nation in the world."
• "Sometimes I ask for help not because we need it, but to test the allegiance of allies and see how they will react."
• "There are countries that agreed to participate but I prefer not to reveal their names now."
"This is not our war"
Germany's clearest rejection of Trump's request came from its Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who said, "This is not our war, and it was not us who started it." Japan, Italy, and Australia also confirmed their non-participation in any efforts to reopen the strait.
Meanwhile, the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced that the Union would not expand its naval operations in the region, saying, "This is not Europe's war, but its interests are now directly at stake."
Other countries took more cautious stances, including France, South Korea, and Britain, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country would not be drawn into "a broader war."
Delaying the Visit to China
In a related context, Trump announced the postponement of his planned visit to Beijing at the end of this month to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, justifying the decision by saying: "We are at war, and it is important that I stay here."
Although Trump had previously hinted at canceling the visit if China did not send warships to the security efforts, he did not directly link the two matters in his latest statements, despite affirming that Beijing relies heavily on Gulf oil.
"I Can End the War Within a Week"
Trump launched a broad attack on the Iranian leadership describing it as "vicious and brutal," adding that he could end the war within a week if he wanted to.
Here are some of his notable statements in this regard:
• "The Iranian leadership is brutal and killed 32,000 protesters."
• "Iranians are violent, and if they possessed a nuclear weapon, they would use it."
• "Had I not cancelled the most foolish nuclear deal, Iran would possess a nuclear weapon."
• "My principle is peace based on strength."
• "Iran should not possess a nuclear weapon, and that's why we took this military action."
• "Had we not initiated military operations, a nuclear war would have erupted, possibly even a third world war."
• "We inflicted severe damage on Iran within just two weeks."
• "We completely took out two levels of the Iranian leadership, and possibly a third level as well."
• "Certainly, we can end the war during this week."
• "Iran has exploited the Strait of Hormuz for years, but that is no longer viable now."
Field Developments
The American-Israeli war on Iran entered its third week, leaving over 2000 dead, most of them in Iran and Lebanon since it began on February 28, and Iran responded by launching rockets and drones towards Israel, neighboring countries, and ships in the Gulf, and what it claims are American interests in the region, but these attacks caused damage to civil facilities in the Gulf states, including airports, ports, and various buildings, some of which are residential.
