MIAMI, March 27 (V7N) –  President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his disappointment with NATO allies for refusing to send military forces to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Washington may not assist them in the future if asked.  

“They just weren’t there,” Trump 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 voiced frustration over Western allies’ lack of support and reluctance to commit forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea lane for Gulf oil and gas exports. Traffic through the narrow waterway has slowed to a virtual standstill, driving up global energy prices.  

Six key powers—including Britain, France, Germany and Japan—have said they are ready to “contribute to appropriate efforts” but have not made firm commitments.  

Trump has reserved some of his sharpest criticism for NATO, last week calling its members “COWARDS” and branding the alliance a “paper tiger” without US backing. On Thursday, he wrote on Truth Social that the United States “needs nothing from NATO,” adding: “NATO nations have done absolutely nothing to help with the lunatic nation, now militarily decimated, of Iran.”  

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