Trump strongly considering pulling US out of NATO, labels alliance a “paper tiger”
Reassessing US membership in the alliance in the wake of the conflict, he said: “Oh yes, I would say this: [it’s] beyond re-evaluation. I have never been impressed by NATO. “I always knew they were paper tigers, and by the way, Putin knows it too.”
NATO partners have been reluctant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. Tehran has been closing the strait for weeks, and as global oil and natural gas prices rise rapidly, the threat of a global recession emerges.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused NATO of being a “one-way street” while criticizing U.S. allies for not allowing access to their military bases.
Speaking to Fox News, Rubio said America will need to “re-examine” its NATO membership once the war in Iran is over.
Rubio said Washington would not ignore the lack of assistance from other NATO members. “We will need to re-examine this relationship after this conflict is over,” he said.
“If NATO is all about us defending Europe when they’re attacked, but they deny our fundamental rights when we need them, that’s not a very good deal. It’s a tough deal to maintain.”
The Telegraph reported that Trump’s request for NATO assistance in his war with Iran raises questions about the mutual defense clause of Article 5, which states that “an attack on one is an attack on all”. Since the article in question is only about an attack on a NATO member, it will not apply to the ongoing war between the US-Israel and Iran, which started with joint air strikes on February 28.
