US President Donald Trump has warned NATO allies that the alliance faces a “very bad future” if they do not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and he has also postponed a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for late March.
Trump stated this in an interview with the Financial Times on March 15.
“It's only right that the people who are the beneficiaries of the strait should help make sure nothing bad happens there,” Trump said, noting that Europe and China are much more dependent on oil from the Gulf than the United States. He said that if there is no response or it is negative, it will be “very bad for the future of NATO.”
The day before the interview, on March 14, Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom to join a “team effort” to unblock the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes.
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the start of the US-Israeli operation against Iran more than two weeks ago. US attempts to unblock the strait have failed. Oil prices reached $106 a barrel on March 15, up 45% from when the operation began.
Despite his warning, Trump was skeptical about the allies' willingness to act.
“We have something called NATO. We were very kind. We didn't have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us. But we helped. Now let's see if they will help us. Because I said a long time ago that we will be there for them, and they will not be there for us. And I'm not sure that they will,” he said.
When asked what kind of help he needs, Trump said, “Whatever it takes.” In particular, he wants the Europeans to send minesweepers, of which Europe has far more than the United States. Trump also wants special forces or other military assistance to eliminate Iranian forces that pose a threat along the coast with drones and sea mines.
“We're hitting them very hard. They have nothing left but to cause minor troubles in the strait. But these people are beneficiaries and should help us patrol it,” Trump said.
Regarding China, Trump said Beijing should also help, as he said China gets 90% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump expects an answer before his visit to Beijing in late March for a summit with Xi Jinping.
“We would like to know before then. Two weeks is a long time,” he said, adding that the visit could be postponed.
Beijing, however, has shown no desire to postpone the summit. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant met with his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng in Paris on March 15 to discuss the planned visit.
Israeli and US military operation against Iran
On February 28, Israel attacked the Iranian capital Tehran. US President Donald Trump later said that the US military had launched a “major combat operation” against Iran to “eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime”. He accused the Iranian government of “funding and training” militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Hamas in Palestine. According to him, the aim of the military operation is to “destroy Iran's missile industry and navy” and “ensure that the world cannot be destabilised”.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones towards Israel, and also attacked US military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Amid the US military operation against Iran, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris is calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
The European Union said it reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to ensuring regional security and stability” in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was fair to give the Iranians a chance to get rid of “the terrorist regime and guarantee the security of all peoples who have suffered from attacks from Iran.”
On February 28, Trump announced that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead, a claim later confirmed by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
On March 1, the IRGC announced that it was launching “the most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic” against Israel and “American terrorist bases.” Trump called on the Iranian regime to abandon these plans and threatened to strike “a very strong blow” in response.
On March 2, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the next phase of the US military operation against Iran would be even more destructive.
On March 6, Trump declared the need for a complete change in Iran's leadership, adding that he already had several candidates for the role of “a good leader.”
On March 8, Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
Trump declined to comment on the election of Mojtaba Khamenei, saying only: “We'll see what happens.” Before that, the American president said that the new leader of Iran “won't last long” if he doesn't receive the approval of the White House.