Donald Trump takes a question at Trump National Doral Miami in Miami, Florida. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump lashed out at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Friday after reports suggested his administration and Tehran have reached a deal to fully re-open the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that NATO allies had offered help, which he immediately rejected.
“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!”
The Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade flows – was opened Friday to all commercial ships for the remainder of the ongoing two-week ceasefire tentatively agreed to by Washington and Tehran. The Trump administration is reportedly considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian funds, a consideration that drew sharp criticism from critics.