LONDON, April 1. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has threatened his NATO allies to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, using the funds raised through the PURL foundation, in response to the alliance's refusal to help the United States unblock the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times quoted sources as saying.
According to their information, several countries heeded the calls of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and issued a joint statement on March 19, expressing their readiness to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of ships through Hormuz in response to Trump's tough stance. They include Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Japan. Later, the number of countries reached 35.
"It was Rutte who insisted on the joint statement because Trump had threatened to withdraw from PURL and from Ukraine in general. The statement was then quickly put together, and other countries joined in afterwards because there was not enough time to invite everyone to sign up straight away," a source said.
Two sources confirmed that Rutte had numerous telephone conversations with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the two days preceding the publication of the statement.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, hitting major cities, including Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated with sweeping attacks on Israel. US military installations in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were also attacked.
Iran also closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships associated with the United States, Israel and the countries that supported aggression against the Islamic Republic. During the conflict, a number of tankers were attacked for passing through the strait without Tehran's permission. On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had allowed passage through the strait to friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China and Pakistan.