Macron slams Trump, says reopening Hormuz by force 'unrealistic'

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has hit out at Donald Trump, saying he was undermining NATO by creating “daily doubt about his commitment” to the alliance.

The US president, in interviews with various media yesterday, made disparaging comments about NATO, calling it a “paper tiger” and threatening to pull the US out of it. Trump has been especially critical of the alliance for refusing to heed his demands to secure the Strait of Hormuz by force, provoking the ire of European leaders.

Macron warned that Trump’s comments questioning the US commitment to the alliance “erode its very substance” as he urged leaders to “be serious”.

“I believe that organisations and alliances like NATO are defined by what is left unsaid – that is, the trust that underpins them, and that has often been the case, incidentally, with military and strategic matters,” he said during a state visit to Seoul in South Korea.

“If you cast doubt on your commitment every day, you erode its very substance.”

He continued: “We need to be serious, and if you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite of what you said the day before.

“I think there is too much talk.”

Macron said it was “unrealistic” to reopen the Hormuz Strait by force, telling reporters that it would expose navies to Iranian attacks. He said securing the Strait could only be done “in coordination with Iran” after a ceasefire.

Source: The Guardian