--- description: President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the military alliance’s resistance to getting involved in the war a “very foolish mistake.” title: Trump Blasts NATO Allies for Rebuffing Call for Help in Iran image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ba44ec167c2df3f/69b9a9feda0eb548917d77a7/GettyImages-2266547886.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Iran](/tag/iran/) ## Iran Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # ‘Very Foolish Mistake’: Trump Blasts NATO Allies for Rebuffing Call for Help in Iran War by [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editorial Fellow Mar 17, 2026 7:43 PM CUT  President Donald Trump, right, and Micheál Martin, Ireland's prime minister, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C, on March 17, 2026. President Donald Trump, right, and Micheál Martin, Ireland's prime minister, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C, on March 17, 2026.Yuri Gripas—Abaca/Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editorial Fellow Mar 17, 2026 7:43 PM CUT President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7382697/trump-iran-war/ "undefined") on Tuesday voiced frustration with the U.S.’ NATO allies for their lack of action in the war against Iran, calling the military alliance’s resistance to getting involved in the conflict a “very foolish mistake.” “All of our NATO allies were very much in favor of what we did. They thought it was very important,” the President said in reference to the U.S.-Israeli [strikes](https://time.com/7346357/iran-strikes-news-us-trump-protests/ "undefined") on Iran while speaking in the Oval Office alongside Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin. “Everyone agrees with us, but they don't want to help. And we, as the United States, have to remember that, because we think it's pretty shocking.” Despite Trump's [previous calls](https://time.com/article/2026/03/14/strait-of-hormuz-trump-iran/ "undefined") for other nations to secure the [Strait of Hormuz](https://time.com/7382242/strait-of-hormuz-closure-threat-iran-war-trade-gas-oil-prices/ "undefined"), the President insisted that the U.S. didn’t need help to carry out its military operation in Iran—even as he rebuked the country’s NATO allies for failing to provide such assistance. “I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us,” Trump said. “So this is a, this was a great test, because we don't need them, but they should have been there.” Trump noted that while he is “disappointed” by NATO, the U.S. has received “great support” from the Middle East. “We've had great support from the Middle East. Qatar has been great. UAE has been absolutely great. Saudi Arabia has been terrific. Bahrain has been very good. The Middle Eastern countries have been very strong in their support. And of course, Israel has been our partner,” Trump said. **Read more:** [_Trump’s War_](https://time.com/7382697/trump-iran-war/ "undefined") The President offered a similar rebuke in a [post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116245182325726375 "undefined") on his Truth Social platform shortly before meeting with Martin, in which he noted that the U.S. “has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved” in the war with Iran, “despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing.” “I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” the President wrote. But, he added, “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!” Trump and other Administration officials have offered [mixed messages](https://time.com/7383292/trump-iran-war-end/ "undefined") about the country’s ultimate goals in the war in Iran and how long it might last in the two weeks since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes. The President on Tuesday was vague on a potential timeline, stating that “we’re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the near future. We'll be leaving in pretty much the very near future.” If the U.S. were to depart Iran “right now,” he said, “it would take 10 years for them to rebuild.” Trump also reiterated his Administration’s claims that the U.S. has decimated Iran’s military capacity while speaking in the Oval Office, however. “They have no air force, no navy. They have no radar. Their radar is entirely gone. Their anti-aircraft machinery is gone. Everything is gone. Their leaders are gone,” he said. Trump in recent days [pushed](https://time.com/article/2026/03/14/strait-of-hormuz-trump-iran/ "undefined") for other countries to join efforts to open up the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint at the end of the Persian Gulf through which roughly a fifth of global oil production flows, after attacks on several vessels in the waterway last week effectively closed it to tanker traffic. On Sunday, the President told the[ Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/1ca6d121-760b-4ec5-b6ad-514fdaa94873 "undefined") after he called on other nations to help secure the strait that “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” Trump’s request has [met with](https://time.com/article/2026/03/16/strait-of-hormuz-international-responses-starmer-uk-trump-threatens-nato/ "undefined") hesitance from some countries and outright rejection from others. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the United Kingdom would “not be drawn into the wider war,” but that it was working to “bring together a viable plan” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. The same day, European Union Foreign Ministers met in Brussels to discuss "how to better protect shipping in the region,” but many nations expressed reluctance to get involved in the Middle East conflict. “This is not Europe’s war,” Kaja Kallas, the E.U. high representative for foreign affairs, said following the meeting. Martin, whose country is not a part of NATO, confirmed on Monday that Ireland would get involved in securing the strait. Speaking alongside Trump the following day, the Irish leader stressed that “the transatlantic relationship between Europe and the U.S. is very, very important.” Of Iran, Martin said that “everyone has acknowledged that you cannot have a rogue state like Iran getting control of nuclear weapons,” and added that “it was a very, very repressive regime” and that Ireland and “all European countries” had sanctioned Iran. But he also emphasized the importance of working to end the war. “I think that’s what we want, is a peaceful resolution of conflict,” Martin said. 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