Donald Trump is disappointed that NATO allies have not become more actively involved in attacking Iran, and this issue is expected to be raised at a July NATO summit in Ankara. Marco Rubio said the rift would need to be addressed at the leaders level rather than during the current foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg. Rubio also described fresh US demands for help in forcing open the Strait of Hormuz if peace talks with Iran do not progress. He said NATO countries could contribute to a “plan B” to reopen the straits if attacks occur, without necessarily making it a NATO mission. The UK and France offered to lead a multinational air and naval force to secure merchant shipping after a US-Iran peace deal or a ceasefire. US troop numbers in Europe are expected to decrease from 80,000, though the exact reduction remains unclear.
"Donald Trump is disappointed that Nato allies refused to become more actively involved in attacking Iran, the US secretary of state has said, setting up what could become a fraught summit of the alliance in July. Marco Rubio, meeting with foreign ministers of the military alliance, emphasised that he expected the rift would be discussed at the July meeting in Ankara, making the summit one of the more important in Nato's 77-year history."
"The president's views frankly, disappointment at some of our Nato allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East, they are well documented, Rubio said as he arrived for the start of the meeting in Helsingborg. That will have to be addressed. That won't be solved or addressed today. That's something for the leaders level to discuss, he said, amid fresh US demands for help in forcing open the strait of Hormuz if peace talks with Iran fail to progress."
"After the meeting, Rubio said he discussed the possibility with his counterparts of Nato countries helping militarily. We have to have a plan B for if someone is shooting, then how do you reopen the straits? Rubio said. I don't know if that would be a Nato mission necessarily, but it would certainly be Nato countries that can contribute to it."
"US troop numbers in Europe are also expected to drop from 80,000 after a review reflecting wider commitments, Rubio emphasised, although the exact cut remains unclear amid contradictory statements from the White House. I think it's well understood in the alliance that the United States' troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted, Rubio said after the foreign ministers' meeting, stressing that the US had been talking to European Nato members about it."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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