‘We’ll remember,’ Trump blast NATO; sends more Marines to Middle East

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Trump. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP.

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US President Donald Trump branded NATO allies “cowards” for not heeding his demand for help in securing the Strait of Hormuz, saying “We will remember”.

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Meanwhile, Trump on Friday ruled out reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran, as more Marines headed to the Middle East in a possible sign of a coming ground operation.

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Trump insisted Washington had the upper hand in the three-week-old war, despite Iran effectively blockading the Strait of Hormuz in a move that has sent global oil prices skyrocketing.

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“I think we have won,” Trump told journalists at the White House alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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“I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”

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Trump would not confirm a report by the Axios news outlet that he was considering an occupation or blockade of Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait.

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“I may have a plan or I may not,” Trump said when asked by an AFP reporter. “It’s certainly a place that people are talking about but I can’t tell you.”

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The White House told AFP earlier that the United States could “take out” the vital oil hub “at any time” if Trump chose.

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US forces hit Kharg on Friday in strikes that Trump said had “totally obliterated” all military targets on the island, but Washington has so far avoided hitting its oil infrastructure.

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Surging oil prices have put pressure on Trump to bring the war to an end, amid Republican fears the economic shock could hurt the party in November’s midterm elections.

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Trump has previously said he does not plan to put boots on the ground in Iran.

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‘We will REMEMBER!’

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But The Wall Street Journal said Washington is deploying between 2,200 and 2,500 US Marines from the California-based USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

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Asked about the reports, the Marine Corps said the two groups are “deployed at sea,” while the US 3rd Fleet said they are “conducting routine operations.”

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A week ago, US media reported a separate deployment to the Middle East of some 2,500 Marines aboard as many as three ships.

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Trump meanwhile branded NATO allies “cowards” for not heeding his demand for help in securing the Strait of Hormuz.

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“So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

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“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump posted.

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He has blamed Iran’s stranglehold on the narrow waterway, through which around one fifth of global crude supplies pass in peacetime, for the current oil price spike.

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Six key powers including Britain, France, Germany and Japan – whose premier met Trump at the White House on Thursday – say they are ready to “contribute to appropriate efforts” but have not made any commitment.

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But the 79-year-old Republican – who rose to power on a promise to end America’s long Middle Eastern wars – nevertheless insisted the joint US-Israeli operation was going “extremely well.”

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“It’s not even a contest,” Trump said earlier Friday as he presented naval cadets with an American football trophy at the White House.

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Trump added of Iran that “we want to talk to them, and there’s nobody to talk to,” because of the killing of Iran’s former supreme leader and a host of other top officials.

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