President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, Sunday, March 15, 2026, en route from West Palm Beach, Fla. to Joint Base Andrews, Md. The former head of the British Army has hit back at Donald Trump after he warned the future of Nato is at risk unless other countries help America in Iran . The US president has called for international support to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open so oil tankers can pass through it unharmed. Around one-fifth of the world oil passes through the narrow waterway, but ships have come under attack from Iran in retaliation for the US-Israeli bombardment of the country. In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said: “It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there. “We have a thing called Nato. We’ve been very sweet. We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine … but we helped them. Now we’ll see if they help us because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them but they won’t be there for us. I’m not sure that they’d be there. “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato.” But speaking to Radio 4′s Today programme, General Sir Nick Carter said that was a complete misunderstanding of Nato’s role. The former Chief of the Defence Staff said: “Nato was created as a defensive alliance and all of its articles are essentially oriented towards defence. “It was not an alliance that was designed for one of the allies to go on a war of choice and then oblige everyone else to follow. It was not designed for that at all. I’m not sure that’s the sort of Nato that any of us wanted to belong to.” He was backed by work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden , who told the same programme: “It’s not a Nato war, this. It’s a US-Israeli action, and Nick Carter’s right. “The articles of association of Nato are a defensive alliance, which is that we come to one another’s aid when those articles have been breached.” He added: “We’re deeply committed to Nato, but I think Nick Carter is right that it doesn’t operate in the kind of situation that we’re seeing in the Middle East right now.” Meanwhile, Sir Nick also dismissed Trump’s repeated claim that Iran’s navy has been destroyed. He said: “The [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] navy is still very much alive and well and they’re got multiple options for creating mischief in the Strait of Hormuz, everything from shore-based missiles and drones to armed speed boats, to unmanned surface vessels and drones, and of course mines.” Related... Trump Melts Down When Reporter Asks About Dead Soldiers Photo Donald Trump Ally Compares Keir Starmer To A Nun As He Blasts PM Over Iran War Iranian Spokesperson Sends UK Bleak Warning Over Helping Trump Keep Hormuz Open