US President Donald Trump sharply criticized NATO and key allied nations for failing to support the United States in the ongoing war with Iran. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, April 6, he described NATO as a “paper tiger” and named Australia, Japan, and South Korea as countries that provided no assistance. Trump expressed frustration that despite the US maintaining large troop deployments to protect its allies, they did not reciprocate during this conflict.

He reminded reporters that 50,000 US troops are stationed in Japan and 45,000 in South Korea to defend those nations, yet they have not stood by the United States in its time of need. His remarks reflected growing anger over what he sees as an imbalance in alliance commitments.

Trump also claimed that the US military has plans capable of destroying Iran’s bridges and power plants within hours but emphasized that Washington does not wish to take such extreme action.