Trump criticizes NATO for reckless involvement in Iran war in talks with Mark Rutte | NATO news

US President Donald Trump returned to a familiar theme in a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, criticizing European countries for not supporting the US-Israel war on Iran.

Sitting next to Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump expressed his disappointment that members of the NATO alliance did not join the war.

Recommended Articles

list of things 3end of series

“We didn’t need help on this issue. We literally took them down in the first week,” Trump said of Iran.

But it would be better if they said, ‘We want to help.’ We didn’t even want to, but it would have been better if he had said that.”

Trump, who has publicly considered leaving the transatlantic allianceHe indicated that he would discuss the matter with Rutte behind closed doors.

“We’ll discuss what happened, and we’ll see what happens next,” he said.

Trump has often expressed frustration that European countries have not done more to support the US in its war on Iran, which has fueled tensions in the Middle East for weeks and fueled fears. global economy.

But Rutte’s appearance in the Oval Office comes at a critical time. In about two weeks, on July 7, NATO has to do it every year conference in Ankarathe capital of Turkey.

Rutte appears to sympathize with Trump, and critics see his visit to the White House as an attempt to comfort the US president.

Trump, for his part, praised Rutte in a meeting on Wednesday as “a great person, a great leader, a great secretary”.

“If anybody else was in this position, we wouldn’t be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we’re disappointed,” Trump said, referring to his frustration with the NATO alliance.

Rutte opened the Oval Office by showing a series of charts showing the amount of defense spending by NATO members.

He also praised the US attack on Iran, showing trade mark which has outlined his strategy for managing the fragile relationship between Trump and his European allies.

“I want to make it clear that what you are doing in Iran is important,” Rutte said, calling Trump “the leader of the free world”.

“This, first of all, is about the nuclear power that Iran is doing – and it would be a threat to the region. It would be a threat to the world. This is a country that is exporting chaos, exporting terrorism.”

Despite what Rutte said, there is no evidence that Iran was close to acquiring nuclear weapons when the US and Israel launched a war on February 28, which led to the war.

The attacks came as the US is negotiating with Iran over the future of its nuclear program. Many experts have criticized the war crimes as nonsense, saying this may have violated international law.

Earlier this week, the US and Iranian delegations were in Switzerland, to discuss the cease-fire memorandum that was signed on June 17.

One of the most pressing issues in the current negotiations is the control of the Strait of Hormuz, an important channel for the production of world goods, including oil, fertilizers and natural gas.

Since the start of the war, Iran has closed traffic through the road that runs along the coast. The June memorandum has seen Iran raise its maritime infrastructure, pending further negotiations.

But in March, when the blockade was complete, Trump asked NATO allies to send their troops to patrol the waterway. “It will be very bad for the future of NATO” if they don’t, he warned.

Despite the fact that no NATO partner committed troops to the war, Rutte on Wednesday tried to advance the conflict that he supported in other ways.

The NATO chief acknowledged with approval the major role played by European forces in the war.

“If you look at the numbers, four to five thousand US planes (were) leaving Europe in the six weeks after the war,” Rutte said.

“I know there have been cases where you’ve been disappointed, but for the most part, your European friends have been.”

He also acknowledged Trump’s disappointment, but put aside that he was not a representative of the NATO alliance.

Rutte said: “I agree that there is reason to be very disappointed.

Trump did not appear to be affected by the controversy, but praised Rutte for his position.

“I think if I had called him, maybe he would have found a way to help if we had needed it,” Trump said.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has killed thousands The common people of Iran and deporting millions more temporarily.