Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has reiterated his criticism of NATO, calling the organization a “paper tiger” and speculating that the US might leave it.

After US military action in Iran, Trump called NATO “terrible” and said its members “weren’t there for us” in an interview. “NATO never swayed me,” he continued. I’ve always known they’re a paper tiger—and, incidentally, Putin is aware of this as well.

Reiterating long-standing complaints about allied contributions, Trump also questioned the worth of US involvement in the alliance, stating that its membership was “beyond reconsideration.”

His remarks came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the situation in the Middle East, reaffirming the UK’s commitment to NATO. Speaking shortly after Trump’s comments, Starmer said: “NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen.

“It has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO. And secondly, whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions I make. And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war and we’re not going to get dragged into it. But I’m equally clear when it comes to defence and security and our economic future, we have to have closer ties with Europe.”

Trump’s position was echoed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who indicated Washington may reassess its relationship with NATO after the Middle East conflict.

“I think there’s no doubt, unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship,” Rubio said. “We’re going to have to re-examine the value of NATO in that alliance for our country.”

Rubio also criticised European allies for restricting US access to military bases, adding: “When we need them to allow us to use their military bases, their answer is no? Then why are we in NATO?”