NATO’s
Rutte sidesteps Trump threats
The
military alliance chief said allies are in talks “collectively” on how best to
reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
March 18,
2026 5:25 pm CET
By Victor
Jack
BRUSSELS
— NATO chief Mark Rutte on Wednesday declined to address Donald Trump’s latest
warning he could reconsider the U.S. role in the alliance after berating allies
for not backing his war in Iran.
The U.S.
president on Tuesday branded NATO countries “very foolish” for snubbing his
demands for military support in securing the critical Strait of Hormuz trade
artery. As a result, rethinking the U.S. role in the alliance it founded was
“certainly something we should think about,” he said.
But asked
about the latest broadside, Rutte demurred. “When it comes to the Strait of
Hormuz, I have been in contact with many allies. We all agree, of course, the
strait has to open up again,” he said.
“What I
know is that allies are working together discussing how to do that,” he told
reporters during a visit to a NATO military exercise in Norway. “What is the
best way to do it? They are working on that collectively to find a way
forward.”
The
remarks underscore the high-wire act facing Rutte as the U.S.-Israeli war with
Iran drags into its third week. The secretary-general wants to placate Trump —
a longtime NATO skeptic — while avoiding a full embrace of a war which is
out-of-area for NATO and has been widely criticized by other allies.
Yet the
latest comments also mark a change in tack from Rutte, after countries like
Spain hit out at the alliance boss for his claim earlier this month that the
war enjoyed “widespread support” from NATO allies. The former Dutch prime
minister on Wednesday avoided praising the war effort, and did not allude to
European support for the conflict.
The U.S.
has so far not issued specific requests for help from NATO, but individual
allies like Estonia have offered to send equipment and vessels to help keep the
Strait of Hormuz open after Iran effectively shut off shipping in the
chokepoint through which around a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
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