WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Donald Trump adopted a firm stance at the NATO leaders’ summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, defending U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and urging allies to boost defense spending.
Trump praised the strength of the alliance but warned that if Iran rebuilds its nuclear program, the United States would strike again.
“This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop. And you know, if it didn’t, they wouldn’t have settled,” Trump told reporters.
NATO agrees to 5% defense spending target
NATO allies agreed to more than double their defense spending target — from 2% to 5% — upping the alliance’s goal “in response to significant threats to our security,” NATO members said in a statement.
The 5% goal consists of “at least” 3.5% annual GDP for “core” defense requirements, with the rest allocated to “critical infrastructure,” according to the statement.
“We will work to eliminate defence trade barriers among Allies and will leverage our partnerships to promote defence industrial cooperation,” the statement said.
Trump had previously urged the other countries to contribute that amount.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against that pledge, calling it “incompatible with our worldview.” Trump lashed out at the response, calling Spain “a low payer.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Trump during the summit.
Trump is also expected to discuss the Israel-Iran war in more detail. A ceasefire between the two countries, though fragile, appeared to hold overnight.
Congress briefings on Iran postponed
Over the weekend, the U.S. conducted “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which struck three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Trump called the attacks a “spectacular military success” and has since floated the idea of a regime change in Iran if the “current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.”
Democrats on Capitol Hill have raised concerns about the strikes occurring without congressional approval, citing a lack of information and transparency from the Trump administration.
They’re also voicing outrage and demanding answers after the Trump administration postponed a pair of meetings to brief Congress on the war in the Middle East. Some want to know more about the exact damage to Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump’s team was confident the strikes had obliterated Iran’s facilities.
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Author: Tom Dempsey
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