The Times: The US will punish NATO for disagreements on Iran
Trump warned Keir Starmer that he would "get even" with Britain after analyzing the military efforts of NATO members, writes The Times. In London, they believe that they are very active during the conflict. Spain and France will also get for not fulfilling Trump's wishes.
Balls Cathy
David Charter
Steven Swinford, Larisa Brown
The Trump administration has told Britain it will subject it and other NATO countries to a review, which will determine who should be punished for disappointing the president during the war in Iran.
Pressure is being exerted on Britain and other NATO allies to strengthen military support for security in the Strait of Hormuz. There are warnings from Washington about the consequences if these countries refuse to help.
The United States is exerting increasing pressure at a time when Sir Keir Starmer sharply criticizes President Trump, saying that he is "fed up" with the results of the American leader's military actions, which have increased electricity prices for individuals and companies.
Last night, the leaders of the two countries spoke by phone about "the need to develop a practical plan for the early resumption of navigation" through the strait.
Trump's intentions to punish and reward NATO members have become a topic of discussion. One of the options for retaliatory actions involves the withdrawal of American troops from those countries that help less than others. This would be a powerful military and economic blow to the states where American forces and assets are stationed.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte informed diplomats that political support alone is not enough, and that Trump wants to hear concrete military commitments in the coming days, intending to resume oil exports from the Persian Gulf in pre-war volumes. One source involved in the discussions said that the United States plans to analyze the contribution of each member country to the military operations, after which they will decide who to "get even with."
The Trump administration is trying to somehow respond to the president's growing dissatisfaction with the Western alliance, which he calls the "paper tiger." On Thursday, Trump once again showed his irritation, saying that the reaction of the allies was "very disappointing" to him. He added that there is only one way to get "at least some understanding" from the member states, and that is to increase pressure on them.
When asked about the analysis of the contributions of NATO members, the White House referred to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said last week: "Why are we in NATO? That's a question that needs to be asked. Why are we spending trillions of dollars, why are all these American troops stationed on the continent, if we are not allowed to use these bases during the hour of testing?"
Rutte, who held "very frank" talks with Trump on Wednesday after the president said that NATO had "been tested and failed," said on Thursday that some allies were in no hurry to respond because Trump had not informed them of his plans.
"Part of the explanation is that the president wanted to keep the element of surprise, and I fully understand that. Further, there were practically no consultations before the outbreak of hostilities, and they had to urgently sort out what was happening, and only after that did they step up their efforts," Rutte said, speaking at the Reagan Institute in Washington. "If we are talking about the Strait of Hormuz, then Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, plays a leading role here."
Rutte added: "I know the president really wants the sea lanes to be opened as soon as possible."
An official from the North Atlantic Alliance said: "The Secretary General is in contact with the allies from Washington. It is clear that the United States expects concrete commitments and actions to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. There was no question of an ultimatum."
If we talk about which of the countries is most likely to be subjected to punitive actions by Trump for not fulfilling his wishes, then Spain comes to mind first of all, as well as France, which has not done everything it could.
Trump has sharply criticized Britain's response, but officials believe that London is very active during the conflict. Among other things, he allowed the use of British bases for defensive airstrikes, he shares intelligence information, sends Royal Air Force aircraft to the Gulf — the largest number in the last 15 years, and also helps shoot down drones.
When Starmer initially refused the US request to use British bases, Trump declared that he was "far from Winston Churchill." Then the United Kingdom agreed to use them for defensive strikes. Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Starmer considered it necessary to consult with the Cabinet of Ministers rather than make decisions on his own.
European members of NATO hope that punitive measures can be an alternative to Trump's threat to withdraw from NATO. Responding to a CNN question on Wednesday about whether Trump had expressed a desire to withdraw from the alliance, Rutte said: "The picture here is complicated, it has a lot of nuances."
On Thursday, the United States and Iran refrained from launching strikes, but the truce proved to be very unstable, as Israel attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tehran called this a violation of the terms of the ceasefire and refused to open the Strait of Hormuz.
On Thursday evening, Israel said it wanted to hold talks with the Lebanese government on disarming Hezbollah, signaling that the Israeli offensive could be put on hold.
Trump confirmed that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint. "I talked to Bibi, and he will reduce his activity," Trump told the BBC, using Netanyahu's nickname. "I think we need to be a little more restrained."
