President Donald Trump said he is considering pulling the United States out of NATO after some members of the military alliance refused to join in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Calling the military alliance a paper tiger, Trump said in an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph that leaving NATO was beyond reconsideration.

The interview, published on April 1, came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "unfortunately" the Trump administration will have to "reexamine the value of NATO and that alliance for our country."

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"I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way," Trump, who is scheduled to address the United States in a live television broadcast later on April 1, told The Telegraph.

Trump and other US officials have repeatedly questioned the value of the alliance if the United States cannot freely use bases in allied countries to defend its own interests.

Media reports this week claimed that Spain and Italy -- both NATO members -- had denied permission for US military aircraft to use their air bases for military operations in Iran.

The US administration has also been critical of the reluctance of NATO members to send war ships to break up Irans de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway used to transport about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas.

Several European allies have refused to get directly involved in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has seen daily air strikes launched on the Middle Easter country. Tehran has responded by firing missiles and launching drones at targets around the Middle East, escalating fears of a widening conflict.

Some of NATOs key members reacted sharply to Trumps comments, defending the alliance and its actions.

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When asked about Trumps interview, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: Firstly, NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO.

Secondly, that whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, Im going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I makeAnd thats why Ive been absolutely clear that this is not our war and were not going to get dragged into it.

A German government spokesperson also reaffirmed Berlin's commitment to the alliance, while Alice Rufo, the minister delegate to Frances defense minister, told a conference on April 1 that NATO is a military alliance concerned with the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not designed to carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which would be a breach of international law.

Starmer announced that the UK will convene talks with about 35 countries this week on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and that the meeting would "consider all feasible diplomatic and political measures to restore freedom of navigation, ensure the safety of stranded ships and seafarers, and resume the movement of vital goods."

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He added that military planners would also be engaged to "make the Strait accessible and secure after the fighting ends."

Rubio struck a more optimistic chord on the war itself, saying the "finish line" is in sight.

In an interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity show on March 31, he said that "there are talks going on" to end the war, with the possibility of a "direct meeting at some point."

"We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," he said, but did not elaborate.

Prospects for a deal to end the war, which began on February 28, have grown in recent days.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said late on March 31 that his country has the "necessary will" to end the conflict with the United States and Israel depending on conditions such as security guarantees.

The United States said last week it put forward a 15-point plan that includes Iran dismantling its nuclear facilities, limiting its missile capabilities, and ending its support for regional proxy forces.

Trump said on March 31 that the fighting could end in two to three weeks, further buoying sentiment that a settlement is within reach.

"There are messages being exchanged, there are talks going on. There is the potential for a direct meeting at some point," Rubio told Fox News.

Trump Warns NATO US Is Considering Pullout Over Iran

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