Donald Trump is reportedly drawing up a tiered list of NATO allies based on their support for the US-Israel conflict with Iran,
Donald Trump is reportedly exploring ways to penalise NATO allies who’ve declined to support his war with Iran.
The US President has allegedly been compiling what appears to be a “naughty and nice” list of NATO countries based on their involvement – or absence thereof – in backing the US-Israel conflict with Tehran.
The combined effort saw the US and Israel launch ‘Operation Epic Fury’ on February 28, with missiles hammering targets across Iran and igniting a large-scale conflict throughout the Middle East.
NATO allies, including the UK and France, have steered clear of direct involvement in the war, with much of Europe calling for peace amid a global shortage of oil and gas, triggered by the continuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Three European diplomats and a US defence official told Politico that a breakdown of NATO members’ contributions to the alliance has been compiled by US officials, which divides countries into tiers, reports the Mirror.
One diplomat said the White House list seems to sort countries into “naughty and nice” categories, though the specifics are being kept under wraps for now.
“They don’t seem to have very concrete ideas…when it comes to punishing bad allies,” another unnamed European official said. “Moving troops is one option, but it mainly punishes the US doesn’t it?”
This comes as Trump has made his threats against allies who haven’t followed his instructions crystal clear – even warning he could pull out of the pact entirely. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly recently stated: “While the United States has always been there for our so-called allies, countries we protect with thousands of troops have not been there for us throughout Operation Epic Fury.
“President Trump has made his thoughts on this unfair dynamic clear, and as he said, the United States will remember.”
It remains unclear which nations feature on the ‘nice’ list, though Romania and Poland are widely tipped to rank highly given their backing. The Polish government foots nearly the entire bill for hosting thousands of American troops on its soil, while Romania recently expanded an air base to accommodate US military operations during its conflict with Iran.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also dropped hints about which NATO allies might be in favour or in the firing line last year. He said: “Model allies that step up, like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others, will receive our special favour… Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences.”
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