President Donald Trump appeared to suggest he might wipe out the rest of the Iranian regime in a Wednesday post on Truth Social.
The president’s post comes amid a conflict with U.S. allies over their refusal to assist the U.S. in clearing Iran’s crackdown on the Strait of Hormuz, which has hampered shipping through the region.
Last week, Trump called on European and Asian allies to send warships to the waterway to prevent the Iranian regime from attacking vessels transporting oil and other resources. However, none of the countries committed to helping the U.S. in this effort with several suggesting they do not wish to become involved in Washington’s war on Iran.
“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?’” Trump wrote. “That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!”
In a previous post, Trump railed against NATO members and other allies for their refusal to prevent Iran from blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” the president wrote. Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military — Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again!”
Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer “need,” or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Washington and the European Union have been locked in a dispute over who should take responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
Trump has demanded that the E.U. “come in and protect their own territory” and send warships to the region after Iran managed to shut down a large swath of commercial shipping in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on its military infrastructure.
E.U. foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas responded to Trump’s demand, arguing that “This is not Europe’s war. We did not initiate the conflict. We were not consulted,” The Associated Press reported.
A spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “This conflict has no connection to NATO. It is not NATO’s war.”