US may not be there for NATO if needed: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said Washington may not help Nato allies in future if asked to do so, saying, "Why would we be there for them if they're not there for us? They weren't there for us."

He made the remarks on Friday (March 27), reiterating his disappointment with NATO allies for refusing to deploy military forces to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

"They just weren't there," he said at an investment forum in Miami. "We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them, and we would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be, do we?"

On Thursday, he said on his Truth Social platform that the United States "needs nothing from NATO."

Since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran a month ago, Trump has repeatedly voiced frustration over Western allies' lack of support and reluctance to commit forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea lane for Gulf oil and gas exports vulnerable to Iranian attacks.

Six key powers including Britain, France, Germany and Japan say they are ready to "contribute to appropriate efforts" but have not made any commitment.

Trump has reserved some of his toughest criticism for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Last week, he dubbed its other members "COWARDS," and declared the alliance was a "paper tiger" without the United States.