Ron Filipkowski, a former Federal and State Prosecutor, has stated that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Charter does not require a member state to join a war started by another member state.
According to Ron the NATO is not obligated to join in and support the ongoing war against Iran by the US.
The statement made by Ron on the position of NATO has created divided public opinions, with some condemning the decision.
With some members of the public stating that the US also has the right to stop funding the NATO, as it has refused to help, and that NATO could have invoked Article 5 against Iran.
“There’s nothing in the NATO charter that requires the United States to continue funding it.” Antoni Agora said.
Invoking Article 5 by the NATO would have been an added advantage to the US, as Iran had earlier launched an attack on Turkey, a member of the NATO.
Ben Hendon added that if the NATO did not want to help, they were free to do so; however, they needed to make sure that they never needed the support of the US. He added that European member states would suffer the most from the oil supply.
On the other hand, some supported the decision by NATO not to intervene in the ongoing war.
Matt Miller, in support of NATO, stated that no country wanted to be involved in the ongoing war that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started.
Also Read: Trump Signals Next International Target After Iran Operations
President of the United States Donald Trump had called upon the NATO member states to support Washington’s efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman by Iran followed the intensified attacks on Iran amid U.S. and Israeli strikes.
As a result, oil and gas prices increased in the US. Crude oil prices increased past $100 a barrel.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens 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,” Trump said during an interview with the Financial Times.
Multiple countries, including Australia, Japan, France, and the U.K., have announced they will not offer reinforcements to help with Trump’s attempts to reopen the vital shipping route.
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed on March 16 that the UK, as a member of NATO, will not be involved in the conflicts in Iran.
Trump has also asked China to help unblock the strait before a planned summit with President Xi Jinping later this month, warning that his trip to Beijing could be delayed.
Also Read: Zelenskyy Accuses Trump of Discussing Secret NATO Deal With Putin
Article 5 of NATO
The article states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all members and shall trigger an obligation for each member to come to its assistance.
NATO’s Article 5 is consistent with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes that a state that is the victim of an armed attack has the inherent right to individual or collective self-defense and may request assistance from others.
