President Trump Questions NATO Allies' Commitment, Says He Tested Support For US During Iran Conflict

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned the commitment of NATO allies to the United States, saying he was disappointed by the alliance's response during the recent Iran conflict and suggesting he had deliberately tested whether partner nations would support Washington in times of need.

Responding to a reporter's question on the possibility of further US troop drawdowns in Europe and whether he was satisfied with the progress made by NATO allies, Trump said he remained unconvinced about the alliance's willingness to stand by the United States despite decades of American military and financial support.

"Well, we're going to see. I was very disappointed with NATO," Trump said.

The US president added that he may not have attended the recent NATO summit had it not been hosted by Turkey, praising the country's leadership for organising the gathering.

"Frankly, if it weren't held in Turkey, where my friend happens to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it's possible that I wouldn't have attended," Trump said, adding that hosting a NATO summit was "a big thing."

Trump also criticised the reaction of NATO members following US military action against Iran, saying allies were reluctant to assist Washington.

"We weren't treated well because we did something in Iran. We don't need anybody's help. I didn't even want their help," he said.

According to Trump, several allies indicated they would not participate before any formal request for assistance was made.

"Before I asked, they said they wouldn't be there," he said.

The president argued that the United States has invested trillions of dollars in NATO over the years to protect Europe and other allies from security threats, first from the Soviet Union and now from Russia.

"We've invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others... Now it's Russia. And I say that's fine. But you would think that they'd be very willing to do something to help us," Trump said.

He went on to claim that several key NATO members, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France, declined to support the United States during the Iran conflict.

Referring to the British prime minister, Trump said the UK had offered assistance only after the conflict ended, an offer he dismissed.

"He said, 'No, we'll help after the war is over.' I said, 'I don't need that kind of help. We didn't need any help at all,'" Trump said.

Trump further claimed that his request had been intended as a test of NATO allies' commitment to the United States.

"In a way, I was testing people. I was testing to see whether or not they'd be there, because I've long said that we help them, but I'm not sure that they'd be there for us," he said.

Concluding his remarks, Trump questioned whether the United States should continue spending heavily on NATO if allies were unwilling to reciprocate during times of crisis.

"We've always been there for them. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they're not there for us?" he said.