Trump ‘demands NATO sends warships to take on Iran: Live updates

German outlet Spiegel reported that Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to NATO, calling for a concrete commitment to send warships or other military capabilities to the Middle East.

The defence bloc risks losing American support for good if it does not meet Trump’s demands.

Trump reportedly told Rutte that he can no longer support the statements of support from his NATO allies, instead requiring material action to be taken.

Writing on Truth Social in the last few minutes, Donald Trump said: ‘None of these people, including our own, very disappointing, NATO, understood anything unless they have pressure placed upon them!!!’

He has long scrutinised NATO and its relationship with the US, which has only soured since the outbreak of war in late February.

Mark Rutte said he understands Donald Trump’s disappointment with NATO and that he held ‘frank’ and ‘candid’ discussions with the US President.

Asked for a summary of his discussions with Trump, the NATO chief said: ‘As they would say in diplomatic circles these conversations were frank and open… candid.

‘But that’s good. The president, myself, we like each other, we’ve been good friends for many years now and I’d rather have the conversation on the table.

‘I sensed his disappointment about the fact that he felt that too many allies were not with him.’

Mark Rutte has admitted that some of the US’s allies were ‘a bit slow’ to support Donald Trump’s attacks in Iran.

‘In fairness, they were also a bit surprised,’ he said.

He said Trump did not tell allies about his plans because he wanted to ‘maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes’.

‘What I see when I look across Europe today is allies providing a massive amount of support… to ensure the powerful US military succeeds in denying Iran a nuclear weapon,” he added.

‘Allies are doing everything the United States is asking.’

Mark Rutte has promised NATO will not be ‘unhealthily reliant’ on the US as he looks to save the alliance’s relationship with Donald Trump.

He said the US will have allies that are ‘capable and ready, willing and able to defend’ NATO’s security.

Rutte said it will build a ‘stronger NATO’ with members moving quickly to secure the budget and strengthen their armed forces.

‘Even with this progress, it is clear we will need more,’ he added.

NATO Secretary Mark Rutte has heaped praise on Donald Trump as he admitted Europe must step up its spending on the alliance.

Speaking in Washington, he said: ‘We must applaud Trump for his bold leadership and vision’.

Rutte described a ‘mindset shift’ in Europe which he claimed was evidenced by the UK leading a coalition of countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He also admitted it is a ‘period of profound change in the trans-atlantic alliance… from that there will be no going back and nor should there be.’

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said his nation is ‘prepared and ready to act forcefully if Iran fires at Israel.’

He said the IDF has already dealt a ‘very strong blow to Hezbollah’s face, leaving it stunned and confused by the depth of the penetration and the scope of the blow.’

Imposing a toll on ships sailing through the critical Strait of Hormuz would ‘set a dangerous precedent’ and countries should not impede freedom of navigation, the UN’s shipping agency said today.

Iranian officials have raised the idea of charging a toll for using the Strait after a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Tehran was agreed this week.

‘There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. Any such toll will set a dangerous precedent,’ a spokesperson with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation said.

IMO countries adopted the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS, which outlines the rules that govern straits used for international navigation.

‘According to UNCLOS, ships enjoy the right of transit passage through international straits. States bordering straits shall not hamper that right or suspend the transit passage,’ the IMO spokesperson said.

Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that the Iran war has become a ‘stress test’ for NATO and said he doesn’t want it to burden trans-Atlantic relations further.

The German leader said he and Trump discussed the alliance’s future in a phone call yesterday, adding that he offered to discuss it again before a NATO summit in Turkey in July.

Merz said: ‘It is my firm intention to do everything to preserve the protection of NATO, including the United States of America, for Europe.’

He added: ‘This alliance, at least at present, cannot be replaced by anything, so I have a great interest in preserving it and developing it further with the American president.’

The UAE’s defence ministry said today that Iran has so far not targeted the nation with any drones or missiles.

It said that its air defences ‘detected no ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or incoming drones originating from Iran.’

Despite this, it said it remains on ‘high alert.’

The UAE says that it has intercepted over 500 Iranian missiles and over 2,200 drones since war broke out in late February.