Trump blasts NATO says ‘they weren’t there for us’ as Iran tensions soar

President Donald Trump addressed several pressing international conflicts after leaving Air Force One in Maryland on Sunday, declaring that Iran’s naval forces had been destroyed ahead of a planned energy blockade and expressing strong disapproval of NATO for its perceived lack of support.

“Their military is destroyed,” Trump said. “Their entire navy is underwater. You know that 158 ​​ships have disappeared. Their navy is gone. Most of their mine throwers are gone.”

“At 10 a.m. tomorrow, a blockade goes into effect,” Trump added. “Other countries are working so that Iran cannot sell oil“.

Trump further emphasized U.S. energy independence, saying international ships were bypassing traditional routes in favor of purchasing American oil.

Trump, Rubio clash with NATO chief as US set to ‘reexamine’ alliance after Iran clash

President Donald Trump speaks to the media after disembarking Air Force One April 12, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump returns to Washington after a weekend in Florida. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“There are a lot of boats heading to our country to fill up with oil and then go take it,” he said.

The president then expressed his strong disapproval of NATO countries, indicating that the United States’ financial commitment to support the alliance, particularly against Russia, would be subject to “very serious review.”

“But I am very disappointed with NATO,” he said. “They weren’t there for us. We pay billions of dollars for NATO, and they weren’t there for us.”

While NATO countries are now stepping up efforts to help the United States, Trump called the effort too late.

“Now they want to come, but there is no real threat anymore,” he said.

“When you think about it, we are protecting ourselves against Russia,” he added. “And I thought for a long time it was a little ridiculous, but we spent billions of dollars on this. And I think it’s going to come under very serious scrutiny.”

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS FOR SUPPORT AS HEGSETH EXPLODES HESITATION

NATO leaders pose in this photo taken in June 2025. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)

Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO, accusing the alliance of providing limited assistance during the Iranian offensive, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” and refusing to offer naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“You will have to start learning to fight for yourself, the United States will no longer be there to help you, just like you were not there for us,” he told the alliance in a March 31 Truth Social article.

Trump’s recent remarks also follow a meeting last week with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, during which the president again criticized the alliance for what he described as a failure to adequately support the American people.

“It’s pretty sad that NATO has turned its back on the American people over the last six weeks when it’s the American people who are paying for their defense,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said, referring to the meeting.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte holds a press conference ahead of the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 11, 2026. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Among the European countries accused of withholding support in the face of escalating tensions, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is said to have closed Spanish airspace to planes participating in strikes against Iran, including American bombers, and to have refused Washington access to military bases located in the country.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron blocked Israeli planes from crossing French airspace to transport American-made munitions for the conflict with Iran.

Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Trump in a phone call that a “more European NATO” was starting to take shape, signaling a potential shift in the alliance’s strategic direction.

Morgan Phillips of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.