Trump Puts NATO On Notice: ‘WE WILL REMEMBER’ [WATCH]

President Donald Trump warned Sunday that the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization could be jeopardized if allied nations fail to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz during the escalating conflict with Iran, as oil prices surged following recent military actions in the region.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said countries that depend heavily on oil shipments moving through the strategic waterway should participate in a U.S.-led effort to ensure the route remains open.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply typically flows through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most important shipping lanes for global energy markets.

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“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump told the British outlet.

Trump said the burden of protecting the route should not fall solely on the United States, arguing that several major economies rely more heavily on oil shipments from the Gulf than the U.S.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” he said.

The president also raised the possibility of postponing an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the administration pressures Beijing to support efforts to reopen and secure the shipping lane.

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Trump said China’s dependence on oil shipments from the region should prompt cooperation.

“I think China should help too because China gets 90 percent of its oil from the Straits [sic],” Trump told the Financial Times.

“We’d like to know before that. It’s [two weeks is] a long time … We may delay,” he added, referring to the timeline for the planned summit.

The remarks came as tensions intensified following U.S. military strikes targeting Iranian facilities connected to the country’s oil infrastructure.

Iran responded Saturday by stating that all countries other than the United States and Israel could continue passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The announcement came less than a day after American forces bombed military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, a key hub for the country’s oil exports.

Energy markets reacted quickly to the developments. International oil prices rose sharply Sunday, reaching approximately $106 per barrel.

The price increase represents a jump of roughly 45 percent since the conflict between the United States and Iran escalated.

Trump said NATO’s 32 member nations should contribute military support to ensure the shipping corridor remains open.

He suggested that assistance could include naval minesweepers or other forces capable of neutralizing threats along Iran’s coastline.

“We have a thing called NATO,” Trump said in the interview. “We’ve been very sweet. We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us . . . But we helped them.”

“Now we’ll see if they help us,” Trump continued.

“Because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them, but they won’t be there for us. And I’m not sure that they’d be there.”

The president also expressed frustration with the United Kingdom’s response after speaking earlier Sunday with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

According to the Financial Times, Trump questioned the timing of Britain’s military support following the recent U.S. strikes.

“The UK might be considered the number one ally, the longest serving, et cetera, and when I asked for them to come, they didn’t want to come,” Trump said.

“And as soon as we basically wiped out the danger capacity from Iran, they said, ‘Oh well, we’ll send two ships’, and I said, ‘we need these ships before we win, not after we win,’” he added.

Trump reiterated his longstanding criticism of the NATO alliance structure, arguing that the United States has often taken on a disproportionate share of responsibilities.

“I’ve long said that NATO is a one-way street,” Trump said.

He also asserted that Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly reduced following recent fighting and suggested that European allies should face minimal risk if they move assets into the Gulf region.

According to reports, a French soldier was killed Thursday in Iraq after an Iranian drone strike, highlighting the broader regional impact of the conflict.

Trump also signaled that additional U.S. military action remains possible, including strikes that could target oil infrastructure on Kharg Island.

The island serves as the loading site for much of Iran’s oil exports and lies roughly 16 miles off the Iranian coast.

“You saw we hit Kharg Island, everything but the pipes yesterday,” Trump said, referring to the recent strikes against Iranian military targets.

“We can hit that in five minutes. And there’s not a thing they can do about it,” he said.

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