The conflict between the United States and Iran does not seem to be escalating militarily for now, but Washington is introducing new economic sanctions against Iran. President Trump is also trying to involve NATO more closely.
Trump believes NATO should expand into the Middle East, and with the addition of the acronym for the Middle East, it could be called NATO-ME. On Wednesday, Trump also advocated for increased NATO involvement in the Middle East.
The proposal comes during a week of escalating tensions between the US and Iran after America killed the top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Iraq. This Iranian commander played an important role in the fight against ISIS in the region. He is seen by some as the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks.
It remains unclear whether the crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane near Baghdad was actually caused by it being shot down by Iran or pro-Iranian militants, with or without the use of Russian-made missiles, and whether this will result in new military repercussions.
According to Trump, the presence of the terrorist organization ISIS in countries like Syria and Iraq is an international problem, and help from other countries is needed to combat it. He said that US troops can be withdrawn from the area and replaced by European soldiers. "We defeated ISIS and thus did Europe a great service," Trump stated.
On Thursday, Trump held a phone conversation with NATO chief Stoltenberg about the new tensions in the Middle East. Once again, it became clear that the United States and the European NATO countries hold very different views on the Iranian nuclear program. Washington has withdrawn from the previous international Iran nuclear agreement and wants to force Iran with sanctions into a new, stricter agreement.
The European NATO countries and the EU, on the other hand, want to uphold the current agreement and make arrangements with Tehran regarding possible adjustments. Trump wants to replace the nuclear deal with a better agreement through sanctions and military means, while the European countries consider it a good deal and want to proceed diplomatically with Iran. That Trump again links NATO to his Iran approach is yet another instance of him driving NATO apart.
In Washington, Trump praised NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who said the alliance will investigate how its role in the Middle East can be expanded. So far, NATO mainly conducts training missions in countries in the Middle East, but there has never been talk of expansion to include new Middle Eastern countries. Allowing new countries from outside Europe would open a completely new path for the organization. Currently, European countries can join NATO if all other member countries agree.