NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has briefed some capitals that US President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within the next few days for help securing the Strait of Hormuz, two European diplomats have told Reuters.
Mr Rutte met with Mr Trump in Washington on Wednesday, amid tensions within the alliance over the Iran war.
"We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war," said one of the diplomats.
"NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this could be helpful," the diplomat said.
The US President has repeatedly called NATO a "paper tiger" and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks, arguing that Washington's European allies have relied on US security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran.
Although Mr Trump said on Tuesday the attacks on Iran would be paused under a two-week ceasefire, the fallout from the conflict has continued to strain ties.
Mr Trump posted on Truth Social after the meeting in capitalised letters that "NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them again."
Mr Rutte, known in Europe as a "Trump whisperer" and who has faced criticism for frequently praising the US leader, said in an interview with CNN after Wednesday's meeting that Mr Trump "is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies, and I can see his point".
Early planning under way but questions remain
Britain is leading a group of around 40 countries seeking to come up with a military and diplomatic plan to reopen and safeguard Hormuz, but there is little indication it will yield any near-term breakthrough. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday about 15 countries were planning to facilitate the resumption of traffic through the strait.
France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday that Hormuz would be unable to fully reopen until there was a lasting agreement between the US and Iran, while Italy and Britain said Iran's position that it could impose a toll to cross the strait was unacceptable.
"We have an ongoing track on Hormuz, which is largely unrelated to what happened in the White House yesterday," said a third European diplomat.
"We know the urgency on the US side, and we know that Mr Rutte is trying to position himself in a way that he is helpful in that conversation. We are willing to make the right noises and even the right actions down the line, but ultimately the problem is not to please the US but to have the right conditions in place," the diplomat added.
NATO is a defensive alliance focused on North America and Europe, and it is not clear precisely what role Mr Trump expects it to play in the Middle East.
"I expect he will keep up the dialogue on Ukraine and burden-shifting within NATO," a senior European diplomat said, adding that Mr Rutte has said alliance members "should lean into opening Hormuz" after a ceasefire.
NATO, which includes European countries, the US and Canada, was formed in 1949 to counter the risk of Soviet attack and has been the cornerstone of the West's security ever since.
Mr Trump's focus on the Middle East has also further threatened to divert US weapons from Ukraine, whose defence is a major priority for most of NATO's European members.
The US president’s criticism of Ukraine, engagement with Russia and threats to take over Greenland from NATO member Denmark have alarmed those allies.
"He has been disappointed by NATO and other allies' unwillingness to be helpful throughout Operation Epic Fury, even though his effort to destroy the threat posed by Iran is to their benefit," said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
"As he said, the United States will remember."
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US-Iran truce: What we know
