Trump Warns NATO: Send Warships or Face Consequences

0:00On March 16, President Donald Trump has worn NATO allies of a very bad future if they do not send warships to police the Strait of Hormuz. He is demanding that countries like Britain, France, and others join efforts there after tensions with Iran boiled over. The Strait carries about one-fifth of the world's oil supplies, and Tehran has effectively shut it down despite Trump's claims that the United States has destroyed much of Iran's military power. Trump linked this to NATO's support for Ukraine, saying America has helped allies but now expects help in return. Allies including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, and Japan have signaled they will not send full warships. Britain's Prime Minister Kier Starmur told Trump in a recent phone call that the UK would only deploy minesweeping drones from Bahrain. Trump criticized Starmur personally, calling him no Churchill, and saying NATO feels like a one-way street. He stressed that ships were needed before any victory over Iran, not after.

1:02UK officials are downplaying the tough talk from the White House while discussing options with partners to secure shipping lanes. They expect a strong US-UK ties to hold even without full agreement on every move.