Hormuz Strait: Trump and NATO at Odds Here

US President Trump began warning NATO member states on the 15th of last week that they would face a "very unfavorable" future if they did not help ease the situation in the Hormuz Strait. Afterward, he again expressed dissatisfaction with NATO allies. However, an Emirati official said the country might join the US-led operation to protect shipping in the Hormuz Strait.

Trump's Dispute with NATO

According to the Financial Times, Trump sent a clear message to European countries during an 8-minute phone call, demanding their participation in his military action against Iran. Trump also used Ukraine as a leverage, saying, "We have a NATO alliance. We have always been kind. We actually don't need to help them on the Ukraine issue. Ukraine is far away from us... but we still helped them. Now it's up to them whether they will help us. Because I've always said that we will come forward when they need us, but they may not stand by us when we need them. I am not sure if they will support us." He also hinted that he hoped European special forces or other military forces would assist in eliminating Iranian elements causing "trouble" in the Persian Gulf region using drones and mines.

On Tuesday, Trump said on his social media platform "Truth Social" that, "The US has been told by most NATO 'allies' that they do not want to participate in our military action against the Iranian terrorist regime in the Middle East. Although almost all countries strongly agree with the actions we are taking, and believe that Iran should never be allowed to have nuclear weapons."

"I am not surprised by their behavior because I have always thought of NATO as a 'one-way street' – we spend billions of dollars every year protecting these countries, and we will protect them, but they do nothing for us, especially when we need help."

Trump finally said, "Because we have achieved such significant military successes, we no longer 'need' or desire assistance from NATO countries – we never needed it! Similarly, we don't need help from Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, as the president of the United States (the world's strongest country), I can say: we don't need help from anyone!"

Trump again stated in the White House Oval Office on Tuesday that although NATO countries supported the US and Israel's joint operation against Iran, they did not want to help. He even said, "I think NATO made a very foolish mistake." "Every country agreed with our position, but they did not want to help. We, as the US, must remember this, because we find it very shocking."

Although NATO members had conflicts with Trump, the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated on the 18th that NATO was deploying a new Patriot missile defense system at the Incirlik Air Base. This came just days after the third Iranian ballistic missile was shot down.

According to AFP, a Turkish defense official told reporters that, in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system deployed there, another one was also being deployed. The Turkish Ministry of Defense did not specify which country's forces would operate the new PAC-3 missile system.

UAE May Join the US-led Operation to Protect Shipping in the Hormuz Strait

On the same day Trump criticized NATO, March 17, Tuesday, UAE President's Foreign Affairs Advisor Anwar Gargash stated that the UAE might join the US-led operation to protect shipping in the Hormuz Strait. It is well known that this strait is crucial to the UAE's economy, and the UAE is a major oil exporter and trade hub. Iran has attacked an Emirati port located outside the Persian Gulf, which is used for oil exports on multiple occasions.

UAE President's Foreign Affairs Advisor Gargash said that people originally expected Iran to carry out "some limited attacks" in the Middle East after the breakdown of the nuclear talks between the US and Iran, but the actual scale of Iran's attacks turned out to be unexpectedly large. He said that Iran was attacking aggressively, and the UAE was the most severely affected Gulf country.

The UAE Ministry of Defense stated on Tuesday that its air defense system intercepted 10 ballistic missiles and 45 drones launched from Iran. The country's defense ministry statement said, "Since Iran openly provoked, the UAE air defense system has intercepted 314 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,672 drones." These Iranian attacks resulted in two UAE soldiers losing their lives while on duty, and six citizens from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Palestine were killed. Additionally, 157 people were injured, with varying degrees of severity.

Since the war broke out, relations between the UAE and Iran have deteriorated. UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan recently rarely referred to Iran as an "enemy" and warned Iran: "Don't think that the UAE is an easy prey."

UAE President's Foreign Affairs Advisor Gargash said on Tuesday that the UAE had not engaged in "active" dialogue with Iran. However, when the war ends, there must be an arrangement to ensure that Iran cannot use its nuclear program, missiles, or drone programs to "intimidate the region."

He emphasized: "For the region, the solution must ensure that we do not live in an environment threatened by Iran's nuclear program, missile, and drone programs."

Gargash also said he expected that Iran's repeated attacks on Gulf countries would eventually strengthen the ties between Israel and Arab countries that have established relationships, and create opportunities for Israel to establish relations with other Arab countries.

The UAE and another Gulf country, Bahrain, established formal diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020. Other Gulf countries, such as Qatar, maintain contact with Israel but have not established full diplomatic relations.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1860035517839369/

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