Kanyshai Butun
16 March 2026•Update: 16 March 2026
ISTANBUL
US President Donald Trump warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if allies fail to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, signaling pressure on Europe and China to join the US in its war effort against Iran.
In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Trump said he could delay a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled from March 31 to April 2 as he urged Beijing to assist in unblocking the strategic waterway.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” he said, noting Europe and China’s heavy reliance on Gulf oil, unlike the US.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came a day after he appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to join a “team effort” to secure the chokepoint, which Iran effectively closed following US-Israeli joint strikes over the past two weeks.
He also called on China to act before his summit in Beijing, noting the country sources 90% of its oil through the Strait.
“We’d like to know before that,” he said..
He also singled out Britain for its slow response, saying the UK offered only two ships after Iran’s military capacity had already been largely destroyed.
Trump further warned that the US could strike Iran’s oil export hub on Kharg Island and other Iranian oil infrastructure.
“You saw we hit Kharg island, everything but the pipes yesterday,” he said, referring to a bombing raid he announced Friday.
“We can hit that in five minutes. And there’s not a thing they can do about it,” he added.
