In a candid set of remarks during a private Easter lunch at the White House, US President Donald Trump reportedly admitted he was unsure whether the American public still had the patience for the ongoing conflict with Iran. His comments appeared to stress the rising domestic pressure on his administration to bring the prolonged war to an end. Trump also reiterated that the US could “very easily” seize Iran’s oil but added it “is unfortunate’ that public sentiment did not support such a course of action. According to him, many citizens simply wanted the fighting to conclude, saying, “They want to see it end,” The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The President added that although he preferred the option of taking Iran’s oil, the mood among Americans seemed to be, “Just win. You are winning so big. Just win. Come home.”ย “And I’m OK with that too,” Trump added.ย
Calls for Asian nations to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump also emphasised the need for key Asian economies, including China, Japan and South Korea, to assume a larger role in maintaining security around the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He expressed irritation that nations heavily dependent on Gulf oil had not taken on more responsibility while the US and Israel were engaged in military operations against Iran.
Highlighting America’s troop presence in the region, Trump said, “Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force – let South Korea do it. Let Japan do it. They get 90 per cent of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”
Trump renews bitter criticism of NATO
The President did not hold back in his criticisms of NATO, calling its members “very bad allies” and labelling the alliance a “paper tiger.” He accused NATO of treating the United States unfairly and suggested it may not be capable of contributing if a major global crisis erupted. Trump remarked, “NATO treated us very badly, and you have to remember it because they’ll be treating us badly again if we ever need them.” He further added, “NATO won’t be there if we ever have the big one.”
These remarks were part of the same private White House event, which later became a subject of attention due to the brief publication and withdrawal of the video recording. The White House has declined to comment on the reason behind its removal.
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