JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces a "very bad" future if allies fail to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, signaling pressure on Europe and China to join the US in a war effort against Iran.
In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, President Trump said he could delay a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for March 31 to April 2, as he urged Beijing to help open the blockade of the strategic waterway.
"It is only right that the people who benefit from the Strait will help ensure that nothing bad happens there," he said, noting Europe and China's heavy reliance on Gulf oil, unlike the US, reported by Anadolu (16/3).
"If there is no response or if it is a negative response, I think it would be very bad for the future of NATO," he added.
President Trump's statement came a day after he asked China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to join a "team effort" to secure the narrow waterway, which Iran effectively closed after a two-week US-Israeli joint attack. last.
He also called on China to act before his summit in Beijing, noting the country supplies 90 percent of its oil through the strait.
"We want to know before that," he said.
President Trump also criticized Britain for its slow response, saying Britain only offered two ships after Iran's military capacity had largely been destroyed.
The Republican politician warned that the US could attack Iran's oil export center on Kharg Island and other Iranian oil infrastructure.
"You saw us attack Kharg Island, everything except the pipeline yesterday," he said, referring to the bomb attack he announced on Friday.
"We can attack it in five minutes. And there's nothing they can do," he added.
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