Trump seeks NATO commitments on Strait of Hormuz security, report says

As strains inside NATO deepen over the Iran war, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has told several capitals that US President Donald Trump is seeking firm commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, according to two European diplomats who spoke to Reuters.

Mr Rutte held talks with Mr Trump in Washington on Wednesday as unease spread across the alliance over the conflict with Iran.

“We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war,” said one of the diplomats.

“NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this could be helpful,” the diplomat said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with a handshake

While Mr Trump said on Tuesday that attacks on Iran would be suspended under a two-week ceasefire, the political aftershocks from the conflict have continued to test relations.

After the meeting, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social in capital letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.”

Mr Rutte, regarded in Europe as a “Trump whisperer” and criticised by some for his repeated praise of the US president, later told CNN that Mr Trump “is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point”.

Early planning under way but questions remain

Britain is spearheading a group of roughly 40 countries trying to craft a military and diplomatic approach to reopen and protect Hormuz, though there is scant sign of any immediate breakthrough. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that about 15 countries were preparing to support the return of shipping through the strait.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday that Hormuz could not fully reopen without a durable agreement between the US and Iran, while Italy and Britain said Iran’s stance that it could charge a toll for passage through the strait was unacceptable.

“We have an ongoing track on Hormuz, which is largely unrelated to what happened in the White House yesterday,” said a third European diplomat.

“We know the urgency on the US side, and we know that Mr Rutte is trying to position himself in a way that he is helpful in that conversation. We are willing to make the right noises and even the right actions down the line, but ultimately the problem is not to please the US but to have the right conditions in place,” the diplomat added.

NATO was established in 1949 to guard against the threat of Soviet attack

NATO is a defensive alliance centred on North America and Europe, and it remains unclear exactly what role Mr Trump wants it to assume in the Middle East.

“I expect he will keep up the dialogue ⁠on Ukraine and burden-shifting within NATO,” a senior European diplomat said, adding that Mr Rutte has said alliance members “should lean into opening Hormuz” after a ceasefire.

NATO, made up of European countries, the US and Canada, was created in 1949 to counter the risk of a Soviet attack and has remained the foundation of Western security ever since.

Mr Trump’s concentration on the Middle East has also heightened fears that US weapons could be diverted away from Ukraine, whose defence remains a central priority for most of NATO’s European members.

The US president’s criticism of Ukraine, his outreach to Russia and his threats to take over Greenland from NATO member Denmark have unnerved those allies.

“He has been disappointed by NATO and other allies’ unwillingness to be helpful throughout Operation Epic Fury, even though his effort to destroy the threat posed by Iran is to their benefit,” said White House spokeswoman Anna ‌Kelly.

“As he said, the United States will remember.”

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