Trump Claims South Korea and NATO Did Not Help on Iran: 'I Will Remember That'

U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his claim on the 30th (local time) that South Korea provided no assistance regarding the Iran conflict, warning that he "will remember that."

In an interview with Fox News broadcast that night, President Trump expressed frustration, stating that the U.S. spends "billions of dollars helping NATO and other countries, for example, a country like South Korea." He added, "We help them, but when the time comes for them to help us and we ask, 'Will you join?' everyone says, 'No, thank you.'"

Trump continued, "Take South Korea, for instance. There are 40,000 U.S. troops there"—though the actual figure is about 28,500—"and so I said, 'Can you help us just a little bit with respect to Iran?' And they [the South Korean government] replied, 'We'd rather not.'"

He added, "I said, 'Okay. Thank you very much, I appreciate it. But remember that. I mean it.'"

This appears to reiterate his perception that when he requested naval warships from multiple countries to escort vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions with Iran last March, he failed to receive a satisfactory response.

At the time, President Trump publicly named five countries—South Korea, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France—via social media to request the dispatch of warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

In this interview, Trump once again advanced the argument that the U.S. has no need to spend money on allies who do not help the nation.

"If they don't want to step up for us, we can't just act like fools and keep helping," President Trump said. "So that means we end up making a lot of money" by not spending it on allies.

During the roughly 40-minute interview, President Trump also launched intense and specific criticisms against Canada, which is locked in a trade dispute with the U.S., and Iran, with which the U.S. is in conflict.

Regarding Canada, President Trump remarked, "We are losing $60 billion a year with Canada. Canada seems to think they're a state of the United States, but they're not. Why should we subsidize Canada?"

Calling Iran "the number-one state sponsor of terrorism in the world," Trump emphasized that Iran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, stating, "(Iranians) are tough and smart, but vicious. If they get nuclear weapons, Israel will be wiped out."

He also claimed that had he not become U.S. president, neither Israel nor the Middle East itself would exist.

Addressing the protracted conflict with Iran, President Trump maintained his stance, saying, "We are doing well," and adding that "their navy, air force, leadership, and air defense systems are all gone. They have been completely decimated."

He further stated, "At the right moment, we will achieve victory or take action," adding, "We don't just need a paper-thin signature."

He did not miss the opportunity to comment on U.S. domestic politics.

Targeting the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a radical-left faction within the Democratic Party that has recently made strides in primary elections, President Trump asserted, "This isn't socialism, it is communism." He shared that after watching an interview with a DSA candidate, he thought, "They are out of their minds. It is very dangerous for our country."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.