Trump says leaving NATO is something to 'think about' after allies refuse to secure Strait of Hormuz

President Trump escalated his rhetorical pressure on NATO allies on Day 18 evening, saying that leaving the NATO alliance is something to 'think about' after member states refused his call to create an international naval police force to secure the Strait of Hormuz. The statement was reported by Euronews and represents the most direct Trump threat against the alliance since the Iran war began. The escalation sequence across Day 17-18: Trump warned NATO faced a 'very bad future' on Day 17; on Day 18 he said the US doesn't 'need or desire' NATO help and 'never did'; then in the evening he said NATO departure is something to 'think about.' Each statement is more severe than the last. No NATO member has agreed to contribute forces to a Hormuz naval coalition. European allies — already expressing 'grave concern' over the Lebanon invasion — are increasingly distancing themselves from the US-Israeli campaign, making a formal NATO Hormuz mission politically impossible in the short term.