Then President says ‘we never needed your help’ in Strait of Hormuz
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said Washington “did not need” the help of the military alliance in securing the key waterway, which has been closed by Iran since the US and Israel began strikes last month.
His post came shortly after the head of the US National Counterterrorism Centre resigned in protest at the war with Iran, becoming the first and most senior member of Donald Trump’s administration to do so, saying Tehran posed no imminent threat to the United States.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s top diplomat has called on the US and Israel to end the war “so that everybody saves face”.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said: “Nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz. We have to find… diplomatic ways to keep this open so that we don’t have a… food crisis, fertilisers crisis, energy crisis in the world.”
Trump blasts Nato: ‘We never needed you anyway’
Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Nato for refusing to join his war on Iran, saying America no longer needed or desired the help of the bloc’s countries.
He wrote on social media: “The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
He added: “I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”
He claimed the US had “decimated” Iran’s military.
“Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again!”
He added: “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. 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!”
Jaw-dropping images showed two vessels burned to a crisp after the horror strikes off Iraq’s coast which left at least one person dead.
One of the oil tankers blitzed by Iran pictured on Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the astonishing photos, the blackened ships were seen tilting to one side in the death zone waterway.
Shocking footage also showed the two oil tankers erupt into flames after being struck by the Iranian explosive-laden boats.
Thick clouds of black smoke were seen billowing high into the sky above the vessels carrying Iraqi oil.
One person died while 38 others were safely evacuated from the flaming boats as emergency teams fought the blaze, local authorities confirmed.
Tehran is blasting oil tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz as it tries to inflict maximum economic pain on the US and punish Donald Trump for his war.
On Thursday, the price of Brent crude hit $100 per barrel again – rising by nine per cent in Asia.
Oil prices previously skyrocketed past $110 on Monday before coming back down to about $80 following reassurance from Trump that the war was nearly over.
The latest hike also comes despite the International Energy Agency pledging to release record amounts of emergency reserves, which include some 400 million barrels.
In the face of rising costs, Trump has also declared that oil prices will “come down more than we, than anybody understands”.
In the early hours of Thursday, a fire reportedly broke out on a third container ship off the coast of the UAE after an “unknown projectile” hit the vessel.
Wednesday’s attacks occurred while the ships were operating within Iraqi territorial waters, according to Farhan al-Fartousi, Iraq‘s director general of the General Company for Ports.
“Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire,” said al-Fartousi.
He later confirmed the tankers were targeted by Iranian boats packed with explosives.
Iraqi officials moved quickly to evacuate the crews from both ships as the flames continued to rage.
A total of 16 vessels have now been attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman since the war broke out on February 28, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s strikes, Iraqi officials confirmed that all oil ports had “completely stopped operations”.
However, all commercial ports will continue to function as normal despite this latest act of aggression.
A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil was damaged after catching fire in Iraq’s territorial waters 
Iraqi officials later confirmed that Iran was responsible for the attack.According to maritime experts, the use of such tactics represents a dangerous new threat to vessels passing through the vital shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf.
The first sea-based drone attack was on March 1 when a crude oil tanker – the MKD VYOM – was hit off the coast of Oman, killing one crew member.
UKMTO said an unmanned vessel struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker just above the waterline.
The impact triggered an explosion and subsequent fire in the engine room.
Days later, a small vessel struck a Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port.
The company responsible for the vessel said all its 23 crew members were rescued.
The suspected Iranian attacks are part of a campaign of economic misery aimed at pushing the price of oil towards nearly $200 a barrel.
To that end, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively ground to a halt as Iran threatens vessels and attacks continue across the waterway.
Only a handful of ships have attempted the crossing in recent days, with many turning off tracking systems or rerouting to avoid the escalating danger.
Donald Trump has also said he knows the location of Iranian “sleeper cells” in the US amid fears of a possible revenge attack on American soil.
It comes as intercepted messages suggest the reeling regime is hatching a plan to activate attackers currently hiding in plain sight.
A terrifying message sent after supreme tyrant Ali Khamenei was killed appears to hold instructions for “covert operatives or sleeper assets”.
Surely Donald’s “Board of Peace” could be getting him out of the hole that he’s dug for himself?
Imagine seeking help from Nations that he has spent over a year denigrating & imposing tarriffs on.
You couldn’t make it up.