NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in an effort to ease the president’s anger with the alliance over the Iran war as he raised the possibility of pulling the U.S. out of NATO.
Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance after NATO member countries ignored his call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping waterway, as Iran effectively shut it and sent gas prices soaring.
The Republican president's meeting with Rutte, with whom he had a warm relationship, comes as the U.S. and Iran late Tuesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the strait. The nascent ceasefire was struck after Trump said he would strike Iran's power plants and bridges, threatening that "a whole civilization will die tonight."
The plan to reopen the strait is still cloudy and was expected to be a central focus of the Wednesday afternoon meeting with Rutte, which was being held behind closed doors.
When asked earlier Wednesday if Trump is still considering leaving NATO, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "It's something the president has discussed, and I think it's something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary-General Rutte."
