Sipu Jha
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised America’s Nato allies over their lack of support in the Iran war, “vented his frustration” at Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte during the former Dutch prime minister’s visit to the White House, Politico reported, citing officials.Rutte met Trump behind closed doors as part of a long-scheduled visit that quickly morphed into what officials described as a “life-support mission” after the US president repeatedly threatened to pull out of the intergovernmental military alliance over member states such as Spain and France refusing to back the US-Israeli conflict with Tehran, now under a fragile 14-day ceasefire.According to two European officials and a person familiar with the matter, Trump used the meeting as a “venting session” to air his frustration at Europe’s reluctance to join Washington’s Operation Epic Fury, which began with strikes on the Islamic Republic on February 28 and triggered the current Middle East conflict.
“It went s**t. The conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults. Trump apparently threatened to do just about anything,” one of the people told Politico.All three sources added that the US president gave those present the impression he wanted “concrete actions” from allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, a move with major global implications as roughly 20% of the world’s crude oil supply passes through the vital shipping lane.Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran to lift the blockade, threatening that failure to do so would see Iran bombed “back to the Stone Age” — remarks that drew widespread international condemnation.
‘No demands made’: White House
However, according to a White House spokesperson, the president made “no demands” of the alliance during his conversation with the secretary-general.“He has zero expectations of Nato at this point and did not ask anything of them, even though it’s a fact they benefit from the Strait of Hormuz far more than the United States,” the spokesperson told the website.Nato spokesperson Allison Hart described the meeting as “a very frank conversation” but pushed back on suggestions it went poorly, calling it “constructive.”For his part, Rutte said he could sense Trump’s “disappointment.” “I sensed his disappointment at what he felt was a lack of support from too many allies,” he said at an event on Thursday.
A ‘silver lining’
Pointing to a silver lining, a second European official described Rutte’s visit as “well-timed,” saying it gave Trump an opportunity to “blow off steam.” The Republican’s subsequent posts on Truth Social were broad and stopped short of issuing specific threats against NATO as a whole or individual member states, the officials noted.“That’s a climbdown compared to some of his earlier comments. It’s still a volatile moment, but it’s fortunate for the alliance that he was there at this particular time,” the source added.Last week, a UK-led coalition of 41 countries backed fresh sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure on Tehran over its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while making clear they would not provide military support as long as the conflict continues.Countries such as Spain and Italy have denied US warplanes access to their airspace, while Britain initially refused permission to use a UK airbase before later reversing its decision.
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