Donald Trump said the United States might not come to NATO’s aid if the alliance calls for support

Donald Trump on Friday again voiced frustration with NATO allies for not deploying forces to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Washington might not support them in the future if called upon.

“They just weren’t there,” he said at an investment forum in Miami. “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO—hundreds—protecting them, and we would have always been there for them. But now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we?”

“Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us? They weren’t there for us.”

Since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran a month ago, Trump has repeatedly criticized Western allies for their limited support and reluctance to commit troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for Gulf oil and gas exports that remains vulnerable to Iranian attacks.

Shipping through the narrow passage has nearly halted, driving up global energy prices.

Six major powers—including Britain, France, Germany and Japan—have said they are willing to “contribute to appropriate efforts,” but have stopped short of making firm commitments.

Trump has directed some of his harshest criticism at NATO, calling its members “cowards” last week and describing the alliance as a “paper tiger” without US backing.

On Thursday, he wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States “needs nothing from NATO.”

“NATO nations have done absolutely nothing to help with the lunatic nation, now militarily decimated, of Iran,” he added.