Trump Says "Nothing Is Understood Without Pressure"... NATO Chief: "Role in Hormuz Must Be Gradual"

NATO Secretary-General Meets with Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House

U.S. President Donald Trump once again pressured the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to cooperate with the United States regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and related issues.

On this day, President Trump posted on the social networking service (SNS) Truth Social, stating, "No one among these people, including our very disappointing side (people), understood anything unless pressure was applied," adding, "The same goes for NATO."

This post was released after President Trump met with Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General, at the White House. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), at this meeting, President Trump specifically requested support to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz.

NATO Secretary-General Rutte remarked, "We are doing everything the United States is asking," but added that President Trump "clearly expressed disappointment" with NATO.

Previously, President Trump had publicly expressed his dissatisfaction that NATO, as a security ally, did not help the United States during the war with Iran. It appears that, during this meeting as well, he expressed his dissatisfaction and pressure toward Secretary-General Rutte regarding NATO.

President Donald Trump's Social Networking Service (SNS)

After his talks with President Trump, Secretary-General Rutte indicated that while NATO could play a role in securing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, this should proceed in stages. This is interpreted as an attempt to appease President Trump while minimizing the burden on Europe.

While visiting the United States, Secretary-General Rutte attended an event hosted by the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Washington, D.C. on this day, where he stated, "If NATO can help, there is no reason not to help." He then added, "However, it must be done in stages," reminding that the agreement of NATO member states is required on this matter.

Secretary-General Rutte also mentioned that military leaders from around 30 countries had recently discussed ways to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, calling this the "first phase step."

He explained, "The majority of European countries have implemented both what the United States requested and what was previously agreed upon in such situations," adding, "They are listening to President Trump's requests and responding accordingly."

He further commented, "Some allies were a bit slow, but to be fair, they were also somewhat surprised," suggesting that President Trump likely did not inform the alliance of the military operation against Iran in advance to maximize the effect of a surprise attack.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.