President Donald Trump delivered a stark message to NATO on Sunday, urging the alliance to support U.S. efforts in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that failure to do so could lead to dire consequences for NATO’s future.

In an interview with The Financial Times, Trump emphasized the importance of collective action, stating, “It’s only appropriate that those who benefit from the strait’s security contribute to ensuring nothing adverse occurs there. A lack of response, or a negative one, could spell trouble for NATO’s future.”

Reiterating his stance later aboard Air Force One, as he returned to Washington, D.C., from Mar-a-Lago, Trump expressed a desire for international cooperation. “It would be beneficial for other nations to join us in policing the area, with us providing military support,” he remarked.

Trump highlighted NATO’s reliance on U.S. support, citing American assistance to Ukraine as an example. “We are consistently there for NATO, even in situations like Ukraine, where it doesn’t directly affect us,” he told reporters, highlighting the need for reciprocity.

Referring back to his previous statements at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump questioned NATO’s commitment to the U.S., saying, “We’ve assisted them, but will NATO always stand by us?” His comments underscore ongoing tensions and the call for a more balanced partnership within the alliance.

“But we’ve helped them,” he added, repeating his comments to the United Nations General Assembly last fall, questioning whether NATO will “always be there for us.”

Trump is looking for NATO allies’ assistance in securing the oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for the rest of the world. Trump administration officials have been repeating throughout the choking of the strait that the U.S. under Trump is a net exporter of oil and gets only a fraction of its oil from the Middle East – unlike the rest of the world, including NATO allies.

“It’d be interesting to see what country wouldn’t help us with a very small endeavor, which is just keeping the Strait open, and that, by comparison is a small [ask],” Trump added to reporters on Air Force One. “It’s small because Iran has very little firepower.”

A timelapse video shows marine traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)

Trump remained optimist that NATO allies will ultimately get on board 

“We are talking to other countries about working with us, but the policing of the strait, and I think we’re getting a good response,” Trump told reporters on AF1. “If we do that’s great – and if we don’t, that’s great.”

The Iranian regime is using sea mines, which it has stockpiled in the thousands, to make traversing the Strait of Hormuz difficult and deadly. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Eranicle/iStock)

NATO has long been a point of contention for Trump, who had to repeatedly call on member organizations to reach even the 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spending threshold during his first administration. Current Trump U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker has hailed this second administration in getting NATO to commit 5% of GDP in defense spending.