President Donald Trump has once again criticized Japan, South Korea, Australia and NATO for refusing to provide military support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
At a White House news conference, he said Japan and South Korea were “not helping” despite tens of thousands of US troops stationed in their countries to protect against the threat of nuclear-armed North Korea.
Trump stressed that US military support for key allies in Asia should be appreciated, and he again described NATO as cowardly.
Instead, he praised several West Asian countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as “good” partners since the US and Israel launched military operations on February 28.
He insisted that the US had won the war militarily and warned Iran that unless Tehran reached a deal with Washington, its vital infrastructure could be destroyed within four hours.
Trump set a deadline of Tuesday, 8pm Washington time, for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route vital to global oil supplies.
He stressed that reopening the route was a top priority and said the US had plans to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if a deal was not reached.
In a statement with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Trump stressed that the US would actually prefer not to destroy Iran's infrastructure because it would take the country 100 years to rebuild.
He added that the only way Iran could rebuild its country was to take advantage of US intelligence.
Meanwhile, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, stressed that Tehran wanted a permanent solution to the war, not just a ceasefire.
Iran rejected Washington's 15-point ceasefire proposal delivered via Pakistan and instead presented a 10-point plan including a framework to end regional hostilities and ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump described Iran's counter-proposal as an "important step" but still not enough.
