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United States (US) President Donald Trump has commended the Gulf states over their involvement in the ongoing Iran war, while criticising the US allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
He said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait have supported the US. Trump described Saudi Arabia as “excellent,” and also praised other Gulf states. According to Trump, their involvement was related to their proximity to the conflict.
In contrast, Trump slammed the US allies in NATO, saying he was disappointed in them for failing to assist the US in its attacks against Iran. While speaking at a White House news conference on Monday, Trump said the conflict with Iran had left a mark on NATO “that will never disappear.”
He, however, said NATO states are now trying to engage with him and offer support only after the US had already won the war.
“I have to tell you I’m very disappointed in NATO. Very. I think it’s a mark on NATO that will never disappear, never disappear in my mind,” said Trump.
“You know, they’re coming to see me on Wednesday, they’re going to say, oh, we’ll do this, we’ll do that. Now they all of a sudden want to send things, you know. But they said it loud and clear at the beginning, when I spoke to the UK. I would have said they would have been there first because they’ve been there. They’re the oldest.”
Trump singled out Japan, Australia and South Korea.
“Japan didn’t help us, Australia didn’t help us, South Korea didn’t help us, and then you get to NATO – NATO didn’t help us,” Trump said.
He linked those complaints to the U.S. military presence in Asia.
“We’ve got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea; we have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un,” Trump said.
He also said, “You know who else didn’t help us? South Korea didn’t help us. You know who else didn’t help us? Australia didn’t help us. You know who else didn’t help us? Japan.”
Trump had called on its allies in NATO for support in its war against Iran, which has plunged the Middle East into a crisis and thrown the rest of the world into a global energy crisis. Many NATO allies refused to support or join the war effort. Some European countries made it clear that the war was not NATO’s war.
Some NATO countries, such as Spain, denied the US access to their bases and military support. Trump has consistently expressed his disappointment with NATO and described it as a “paper tiger”.
He also said the US does not need NATO allies for technology.
