Trump 'strongly' considering pulling out of NATO

Donald Trump has told The Telegraph he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO after it failed to join the war on Iran, Report informs.

The US president labelled the alliance a "paper tiger" and said removing America from the defense treaty was now "beyond reconsideration".

It is the strongest sign yet that the White House no longer regards Europe as a reliable defense partner following the rejection of Trump's demand that allies send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump was asked if he would reconsider the US's membership of NATO after the conflict.

He replied: "Oh yes, I would say [it's] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

NATO partners have been reluctant to help reopen the strait, through which 20 percent of the world's oil typically travels. Tehran has effectively closed the strait for weeks, sending global oil and gas prices spiraling while threatening a global recession.

Trump added: "Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn't do a big sale. I just said, 'Hey', you know, I didn't insist too much. I just think it should be automatic.

"We've been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn't our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren't there for us."

Singling out the UK, the US president rebuked Keir Starmer for refusing to get involved in the American-Israeli war against Iran, suggesting the Royal Navy was not up for the task.

"You don't even have a navy. You're too old and had aircraft carriers that didn't work," he said, referring to the state of Britain's fleet of warships.

Asked if the British Prime Minister should spend more on defense, Trump added: "I'm not going to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn't matter. All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof."

The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with long-time partners over their position in the war. Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, accused NATO of being a "one-way street" as he hit out at the US's allies for not allowing access to their military bases on Tuesday.

Speaking on Fox News in the hours before the interview with Trump, Rubio said America would have to "re-examine" its NATO membership when the war in Iran came to an end.

"I think there's no doubt, unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to re-examine that relationship.

"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."

Trump told The Telegraph he was "glad" Rubio made the comments.

The president is set to deliver an "address to the nation" at 9 pm (EST) on Wednesday (2 am BST on Thursday) to provide an update on the war's progress.

He said on Tuesday night that the war could end within "two weeks, maybe three", stating that its only goal was to stop Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.

Trump's demand for NATO to help in the war with Iran has led to questions about Article 5, the "attack on one is an attack on all" mutual defense clause.

It has only ever been invoked once, after the 9/11 attacks on the US. More than 1,100 non-US troops were killed in the subsequent war in Afghanistan, including 457 British soldiers.

The clause relates only to when a NATO member is attacked, and therefore would not apply to the war in Iran, which began with joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.