NATO Allies Refuse to Join US Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports

Apr 13, 2026

NATO allies refused to join President Donald Trump's planned naval blockade of Iranian ports, proposing instead to intervene only after fighting ends, a move likely to anger Trump who called NATO a 'paper tiger' and posted that the alliance 'wasn't there when we needed them.' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Trump on Wednesday and acknowledged Trump was 'clearly disappointed' with many allies, though Rutte signaled possible movement on opening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump is considering withdrawing from NATO in 2026 and pulling troops from countries deemed unhelpful with Iran, though a 2023 congressional provision requires approval for NATO withdrawal. Despite Trump's criticism, polling shows 70% of Americans view NATO membership favorably, with support reaching its highest levels since at least 2022, though Republican support dropped from 49% to 38% in the past year.

Trump's threats to NATO over Iran conflict and Greenland

▪Marco Rubio, when he was a US senator, helped pass the 2023 provision requiring congressional approval for NATO withdrawal
▪President Joe Biden reversed the 2020 withdrawal of 12,000 US troops from Germany
▪President Donald Trump pulled 12,000 troops from Germany in 2020
▪President Donald Trump called NATO a 'paper tiger' and said he was considering withdrawing from the alliance in 2026
▪Congress passed a provision in 2023 requiring congressional sign-off for the United States to withdraw from NATO

American public opinion on NATO membership

▪An AP-NORC poll in February 2026 showed 70% of Americans said being a NATO member was very good or somewhat good for the United States
▪The Pew Research Center poll in late March 2026 showed nearly 6 in 10 Americans said NATO was beneficial to the United States
▪A Reuters-Ipsos poll in January showed Americans said 2-to-1 that they were concerned the Greenland episode would damage NATO and other US alliances
▪The combined total of Americans supporting increasing or maintaining NATO commitment in February 2026 was the highest in Gallup polling dating back to 1998
▪Gallup polling in 2022 showed less than half of Republicans supported increasing or maintaining the US commitment to NATO
▪Gallup polling in February 2026 showed 28% of Americans supported increasing the US commitment to NATO
▪The February 2026 AP-NORC poll showed the highest reading of American support for NATO membership since at least 2022
▪A Pew Research Center poll in late March 2026 showed the percentage of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who said NATO benefits the United States a great deal or a fair amount dropped from 49% a year ago to 38%
▪Gallup conducted no surveys on NATO commitment between 1998 and 2022
▪Gallup polling in February 2026 showed only 13% of Republicans wanted to withdraw entirely from NATO