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United States President Donald Trump said Monday that he could refuse to help NATO countries in response to what he described as a lack of support from member states for the U.S. military operation in Iran.
"We spent all of this money. And then when we want to maybe have help on small stuff ... They say no, we would rather not help," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office.
"Stupid thing to say, because we can say that to them if we want, and we might," he added.
Despite strained relations with the alliance, Trump is set to attend the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, next month.
Trump also said any sanctions relief granted to Iran would "largely" benefit American farmers, while warning that Tehran must comply with its commitments or face consequences.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Iran's more than 90 million people face severe food insecurity and that any money unlocked by lifting sanctions would be spent on agricultural imports from the U.S.
"If the sanctions go out, money is going to be put into this country," Trump said. "All that money is coming back in the form of purchases of food, which they desperately need ... The money that we lift is going to go to our farmers, largely to our farmers."
Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is "totally open," claiming the U.S. recorded its highest-ever single-day oil transit through the waterway Sunday.
"We took in more oil yesterday than we've ever, that has ever gone through the strait," he said, adding: "We'll see how that all goes, but we have two things: we have an open Strait, and we have a country that will never have a nuclear weapon."
"I think the blockade was more impactful than dropping bombs," Trump said.
On the broader nuclear agreement, Trump issued a direct warning to Tehran, saying Washington would respond if Iran failed to honor its commitments.
"If Iran doesn't live up to their agreement, or if they're not behaving, I will do what I have to do," he said.
On Lebanon, Trump was asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that Israeli forces would not withdraw from the country.
"I'm a problem solver, I get problems solved real fast, including with Bibi (Netanyahu)," Trump said.
The U.S. and Iran remotely signed a memorandum of understanding last week, launching a 60-day negotiating window to resolve disputes including the fate of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, its nuclear program and other unresolved issues.
The 14-point document calls for an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, the removal of the naval blockade on Iran and safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
It also includes a reconstruction and economic development plan for Iran valued at a minimum of $300 billion, oil export waivers, the release of Iran's frozen assets and a reaffirmation by Tehran that it will not develop nuclear weapons.
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