Trump wants Hormuz commitments within days: Nato's Rutte to allies

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has briefed some capitals that United States (US) President Donald Trump wants concrete commit- ments within the next few days for help securing the Strait of Hormuz, two European diplomats told Reuters on Thursday. Rutte met with Trump in Washington on Wednesday, amid tensions within the alliance over the Iran war. 

 

“We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war,” said one of the diplomats. 

 

“Nato as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this could be helpful,” the diplomat said. 

 

 

The US president has repeatedly called Nato a “paper tiger” and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks. 

 

“Nato wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the meeting. Dutchman Rutte, known in Europe as a “Trump whisperer” and who has faced criticism for frequently praising the US leader, said in an interview with CNN after Wednesday’s meeting that Trump “is clearly disappointed with many Nato allies, and I can see his point”. 

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he did not want the Nato alliance to split over the Iran war but played down reported threats by US. Include Lebanon in ceasefire European leaders condemend Israel’s attack on Lebanon that killed more than 200 people and intensified their call for Lebanon to be included in the US-Iran ceasefire deal. Yvette Cooper, the foreign secre- tary of Britian, criticised Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, calling them a “deeply damaging” escalation. 

 

She said that she wanted “to see Lebanon included in the cease-fire,” because failure to do so would “destabilise the whole region.” French Foreign Minister Jean- Noël Barrot said “Iran must stop ter- rorising Israel through Hezbollah.” However, he added, Lebanon should not be the “scapegoat” of an Israeli government that is “frustrated because a ceasefire has been reached between the US and Iran.” Kaja Kallas, the top EU diplomat said that the strikes had put the cease-fire “under severe strain,” and that the truce should include Lebanon.