Washington: Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly criticised most members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for declining to participate in the ongoing US‑Israel military campaign against Iran, saying he was “not surprised” by their reluctance and asserting that the United States does not need their assistance.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that allied countries informed Washington they “don’t want to get involved” in the conflict with Iran, and he repeated his long‑standing view that many NATO partners offer limited support during critical operations despite benefiting from US defence guarantees.

“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our military operation against the terrorist regime of Iran… this despite the fact that almost every country strongly agreed with what we are doing,” Trump wrote, stressing his belief that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Trump calls NATO a “one‑way street”

Trump described NATO as a “one‑way street,” arguing the US has spent “hundreds of billions of dollars” defending allied nations, but those countries have been unwilling to assist in the current conflict if it requires military involvement.

“I am not surprised… 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,” he wrote.

Trump insists the US has achieved military success

Despite the lack of allied participation, Trump asserted that the United States and Israel have achieved significant military success against Iran, claiming that Iranian military capabilities have been degraded. He said NATO support was unnecessary given the effectiveness of US operations.

The remarks reflect growing tensions within the transatlantic alliance over how to respond to the war in West Asia, with many NATO members cautious about direct military involvement even as they express support for diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

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Allies cautious over involvement

European nations have emphasised legal and strategic constraints on military engagement, while NATO as an institution has resisted involvement in operations not covered by collective defence obligations under Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

The dispute over allied participation underscores wider geopolitical divisions over the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict and how best to secure regional stability and critical waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for global oil shipments.

Inputs from AP, Reuters