US War Secretary Says Future of NATO in Question
During a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said the decision on US involvement in NATO ultimately rests with President Donald Trump but noted that the Iran conflict has exposed significant issues within the alliance.
“A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the US when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world,” he said, emphasizing that Iranian missiles posed a threat to US allies rather than the United States itself. He criticized NATO members for responding with “questions, or roadblocks, or hesitations” instead of immediate support.
“The President is pointing out that you don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” Hegseth added.
In a separate interview, President Trump confirmed that he is seriously considering withdrawing from NATO if the alliance fails to participate in the war against Iran, describing it as a “paper tiger.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicated that Washington may need to “re-examine” its NATO membership once the Iran conflict concludes. He argued that “if NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement. That’s a hard one to stay engaged in.”
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