LONDON — President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is “strongly considering” pulling the United States out of NATO, calling the transatlantic alliance a “paper tiger” amid growing differences with European partners over the ongoing Iran conflict.
In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, Trump said leaving NATO was now “beyond reconsideration,” adding, “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
The US president also took aim at the UK leadership, rebuking Keir Starmer over Britain’s decision not to join the US-Israel military effort.
“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he added, referring to the state of Britain’s fleet of warships.
The British prime minister on Wednesday vowed to act in the UK’s best interest amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, despite the pressure on him and the leaders of other NATO nations.
Starmer went on to defend the NATO as “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”, after Trump’s renewed criticism of the pact.
“It has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO,” Starmer added.
Trump’s remarks mark one of his strongest signals yet that Washington may reassess its long-standing security commitments in Europe.
The comments come after NATO allies declined to support US calls to deploy forces to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit route disrupted during the conflict with Iran.
Trump criticized allies for what he described as a lack of reciprocity. “We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine… They weren’t there for us,” he said, referring to Western support during previous conflicts.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio echoed the criticism, calling NATO a “one-way street” and warning that Washington may “re-examine” its role after the conflict. He cited concerns over restricted access to allied military bases during the crisis.
The debate has also revived questions around NATO’s Article 5 clause – the collective defense provision invoked only once after the September 11 attacks. Officials note the clause applies only when a member state is attacked, and not to offensive operations such as the current Iran conflict, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes.
Separately, reports suggest the US administration is considering structural changes to NATO, including a “pay-to-play” model tied to defense spending and a potential drawdown of US troops from Germany. — Agencies
Source: Saudi Gazette