Washington, 16 March (H.S.): U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to NATO allies on Sunday, declaring the transatlantic alliance faces a very bad future unless European partners assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil artery choked by Iran amid the escalating West Asia conflict.
In an interview, Trump drew parallels to America's support for Ukraine against Russia, insisting NATO must reciprocate by deploying minesweepers and forces to neutralize Iranian coastal threats along the strait, whose partial closure since late February has crippled global energy shipments and spiked crude prices.
He tied this demand to a looming Beijing summit with China's Xi Jinping, signaling potential delays unless major oil importers like China and Europe commit naval assets to secure the chokepoint, through which one-fifth of world oil normally flows.
West Texas Intermediate crude surged 2.5% to $100.22 per barrel, with Brent climbing 2.9% to $106.11, as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps enforces selective blockades—barring U.S., Israeli, and allied vessels while permitting others, including some Indian and Turkish ships—prolonging market turmoil.
Trump's rhetoric underscores his long-standing critique of NATO as a U.S.-subsidized burden, now leveraging the crisis to extract burden-sharing concessions amid retaliatory Iranian drone strikes on Gulf infrastructure.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
