AMB GORDON SONDLAND: NATO blinked on Iran, and Trump has every right to be furious |
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AMB GORDON SONDLAND: NATO blinked on Iran, and Trump has every right to be furious
NATO proudly defines itself as a defensive organization. Fine. But let’s be clear about what 'defense' actually means in 2026
By Gordon Sondland Fox News
Published April 10, 2026 7:00am EDT
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Trump pushes NATO for Strait of Hormuz security commitments
Fox News senior foreign policy correspondent Gillian Turner reports on President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO allies over the security of the Strait of Hormuz on ‘Special Report.’
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Imagine, for a moment, the alternative. In the hours immediately following a successful decapitation strike, instead of criticism and handwringing, the European Union and NATO leadership step forward in lockstep with Washington and Jerusalem and say: We stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and Israel; Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon; and the removal of this leadership has made the world safer.
Think about how Tehran would have processed that—not as a tactical setback, but as strategic isolation. Think about how Beijing and Moscow would have read it: a West that is unified, decisive, and willing to act in concert. That kind of clarity doesn’t just end a news cycle—it reshapes behavior.
Instead, what we saw was hesitation. Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged, in effect, that some allies were slower to respond than the moment demanded. That matters. Because in moments like this, speed and unity are not cosmetic—they’re strategic.
NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US
I’ve spent enough time inside the system—both in business and as U.S. ambassador to the European Union—to recognize when frustration is tactical and when it’s structural. Donald Trump’s irritation with NATO falls squarely into the latter category. It’s not a passing complaint. It’s a fundamental disagreement about what the alliance is supposed to do—and whether it still has the will to do it.
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NATO proudly defines itself as a defensive organization. Fine. But let’s be clear about what "defense" actually means in 2026. It does not mean waiting politely until the next missile hits or the next proxy attack kills Americans or Israelis. Defense, in the real world, includes deterrence, disruption and, when necessary, decisive action against actors who have spent decades making their intentions clear.
Iran has been running that playbook for 47 years: dead American soldiers, attacks on shipping, and a relentless campaign against Israel, one of the West’s most important allies. This isn’t theoretical. It’s not episodic. It’s sustained hostility.
So when the United States moves to........