Washington: Donald Trump has reversed course and claimed he never needed or wanted other countries’ help in Iran, and lashed out at the US’s NATO and Indo-Pacific allies – including Australia – after previously demanding their assistance.
The US president’s latest broadside came as his top counter-terrorism official resigned, saying he could no longer “in good conscience” support the ongoing war in Iran, and accusing Israeli officials and lobbyists of sowing pro-war sentiment in the administration.
Asked about the resignation, Trump said that he always thought the man he appointed to run the National Counterterrorism Centre was “very weak on security” and “it’s a good thing that he’s out”.
Trump has been asking US allies – primarily NATO members – to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to help unblock the crucial shipping passage, with oil tanker traffic grinding to a halt amid the ongoing US and Israeli campaign against Iran.
But he said on Tuesday (US time) that most NATO allies had informed him they would not take part. It was not surprising, he said, as he had long considered NATO to be a one-way street. “We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”
Trump went on to say the US military had decimated Iran’s navy, air forces, defences and the regime’s leadership.
“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need’, or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance – WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea,” Trump wrote on social media.
“In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”
The Australian government has ruled out sending a ship to the Strait, with Transport Minister Catherine King saying no such request had been made of Canberra.
Trump had also not mentioned Australia during his previous public requests for help. Rather, he had referred to China, Japan and South Korea as countries that were dependent on oil from the Strait and should help.
The White House was contacted for clarification on whether Trump had ever sought Australia’s participation.
Later, in a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House, the US president continued to savage the “foolish mistake” NATO was making.
“This was a great test. We don’t need them, but they should have been there,” he said. “We as the United States have to remember that because we think it’s pretty shocking.”
After Trump again expressed his disappointment with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not assisting at the outset of the war, Martin defended the British PM, calling him an earnest and sound person with whom Trump could repair his relationship.
The Irish leader also defended allied military support for Ukraine after Trump complained that the US helped NATO with Ukraine, but NATO was not helping him with Iran.
Trump’s remarks came as French President Emmanuel Macron ruled out sending ships to the Strait, after Trump implied the previous day that France was likely to assist.
“We are not party to the conflict and therefore France will never take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz in the current context,” Macron said at the start of a cabinet meeting to discuss the situation.
The war, which is now in its third week, has inflicted overwhelming damage to Iran’s missile stocks, weapons industry, navy and air force – and regime leaders.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said overnight that Israeli air strikes had killed two more Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
But the campaign has detractors within Trump’s so-called America First movement. On Tuesday, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Trump appointee Joe Kent, resigned saying he could not “in good conscience” support the war.
“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he said.
In his resignation letter, Kent accused “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” of waging what he called a “misinformation campaign” to sow pro-war sentiment and undermine the America First movement.
Trump nominated Kent to head the National Counterterrorism Centre in February 2025. Asked about his resignation on Tuesday, Trump rubbished his assessment that Iran did not pose a threat to the US.
“I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security – very weak on security,” Trump said of his appointee. “I didn’t know him well … It’s a good thing that he’s out.”
With Reuters
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.