White House says NATO "failed the test" in addressing Iran issue
The White House stated on Wednesday that President Donald Trump believes NATO "was tested and failed" in responding to the Iran conflict, as some members of the alliance refused to join U.S. and Israeli military operations against Tehran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a news briefing that the remark came directly from President Trump, who met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday.
"I also want to add that NATO has abandoned the American people over the past six weeks—people who fund their defense—and this is deeply regrettable," Leavitt said.
President Trump again criticized NATO on Monday for not supporting the U.S. on the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Major European countries, including Britain and France, have consistently opposed involvement in the conflict with Iran.
Trump described NATO as a "paper tiger"—appearing strong but actually weak—and recently indicated he is reconsidering whether the U.S. should remain in NATO.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Rutte in Washington on the topic of U.S. military actions in Iran. The day before, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan, aimed at ending the conflict during talks scheduled for April 10 in Islamabad.
The State Department said in a statement that Rubio and Rutte discussed "strengthening coordination and burden-sharing with NATO allies."
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a transatlantic alliance of 32 members established in 1949, was originally intended to counter the now-dissolved Warsaw Pact led by the Soviet Union.
The U.S. Department of State also noted that Rubio and Rutte discussed "the ongoing U.S.-led efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations."
This week, Vice President Wan said in Hungary that the U.S. would continue working to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict, describing it as "the hardest war" among all conflicts the Trump administration seeks to address.
"The President has instructed us to keep pushing forward, but we need Europeans who understand the stakes and know how to make deals," he said.
The war in Ukraine erupted in February 2022.
Source: vOA
Original: toutiao.com/article/1861946099188810/
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