U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 17th (local time) that he had been notified by most North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries that they would not be involved in military operations against Iran, adding that help from Korea and Japan, among others, was not needed.
Trump said on Truth Social on the morning of the day, "The United States has been notified by most NATO allies that they do not want to be involved in our military operations against Iran, a terrorist regime," and stated accordingly.
Trump said, "This is despite the fact that almost every country strongly agrees with what we are doing and that Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons in any shape or form," adding, "But I am not surprised by their actions, because I have always viewed NATO as a one-way street," while emphasizing that the United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars each year to protect NATO members.
He expressed frustration, saying, "We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, especially when needed." Trump said the military operation against Iran had achieved significant results, adding, "Because of this kind of military success, we no longer need or want support from NATO members," and, "We never have. Japan, Australia, and Korea are the same."
Trump's post is seen as an expression of frustration that allies are not responding to requests to cooperate by, for example, dispatching warships to escort merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Germany and several other allies have publicly drawn a line by saying they have no intention to participate, and other countries are maintaining a cautious stance.
Given that Trump again mentioned in this post that the United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year to protect NATO members, it appears unchanged that he believes allies should, in return, shoulder a role in U.S. military operations against Iran.
However, as he listed NATO, Japan, Australia, and Korea in turn while stressing that no one's help is needed, some speculate there may be a shift in the Trump administration's "Hormuz coalition" plan. The analysis is that, finding it difficult to win allied cooperation, he could pivot from forcefully pushing to build a stronger Hormuz coalition to asking for other forms of support.