Trump Escalates NATO Rift, Weighs Troop Shifts Over Iran Support

Overview

• Following Wednesday's private White House meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, President Trump said the alliance was not there when the U.S. sought help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revived a jab at Greenland on his social network.
• The White House press secretary said NATO was tested and failed and confirmed the topic of a possible U.S. exit from the alliance has been discussed internally.
• The Wall Street Journal reported the administration is considering punitive steps against members seen as unhelpful in the Iran war, including moving U.S. troops to countries that backed the campaign and possibly closing a base in Spain or Germany.
• Rutte told allied governments that Trump wants concrete pledges in the coming days to help secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that carries a large share of the world’s oil.
• In a public pushback, Rutte said allies are providing broad support and were slow at first because Trump kept initial Iran strikes secret from partners, while Germany said it would join any Ormuz mission only after a U.S.–Iran peace deal under an international mandate.