In the UK, some MPs believe there should be greater European leadership of Nato
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondentDonald Trump's latest warning that he might be thinking of pulling out of Nato clearly stems from a major fit of pique over the reluctance of members to play a more active role in the war with Iran.
Put aside for a moment the fact that joining wars of choice beyond Europe was never the purpose of the alliance, and that the US attacked Iran, not the other way around.
The president’s disenchantment with Nato has been well known for a decade.
Angry over the failure of members to spend 2% of their GDP on defence, Donald Trump came close to pulling out in 2019, according to Nato's former chief Jens Stoltenberg.
Trump’s ambivalence and occasional outright hostility towards Nato have already led to calls for Europe to take a more leading role.
In a report published last week, the MPs and peers that make up the parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, said this should be an increasingly urgent priority.
"The UK and its European allies," they wrote, "must develop a clear plan for a transition towards greater European leadership of Nato."
Defence spending, Greenland, Afghanistan - three times Trump has been critical of Nato
During his first term, President Trump criticised Nato members for failing to spend more on defence, claiming the US was spending more than its European allies. BBC Verify has previously looked at the figures in more detail - read that here.
Then in January of this year, Trump questioned the transatlantic alliance's loyalty at a time when he was threatening to take control of Greenland.
Asked at the time by the BBC whether the possible break-up of Nato was a price he was willing to pay to acquire the territory, Trump responded: "Nobody has done more for Nato than I have, in every way."
It came after he had questioned whether Nato would come to the aid of the US, should it be required: "I know we'll come to [Nato's] rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours."
That same month, he was also highly critical of Nato and British troops in Afghanistan, claiming the alliance had sent "some troops" but "stayed a little back, a little off the front lines", sparking outrage from veterans and their families.
Trump's threatened to leave Nato before - but this time he's angrier at alliance members
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondentGetty ImagesOf all the warnings in President Trump’s arsenal, leaving the Nato military alliance is among those he’s wielded the most. He almost did it in his first term.
Nato's former chief Jens Stoltenberg said "we saw clear signs that Trump was preparing to act on his threat", in his recent memoir On My Watch.
Stoltenberg recounted how he went on Fox News and credited Trump with pressuring Nato allies to increase their military spending.
Trump didn’t make the speech the White House had reportedly drafted for a US withdrawal.
This time, in his second term, Trump is even angrier as Nato members hold back from joining a war they weren’t consulted on, and still don’t understand its goals.
But some, including the UK, know they need to engage on some fronts, including the defence of Arab allies, as well as to help open the vital Strait of Hormuz.
This new crisis will again strengthen the resolve of European countries and Canada to bolster their own defences.
But there’s still that cold hard fact that the might of the US military matters - immensely. Nato's current chief Mark Rutte is also called the "Trump whisperer and has to do his utmost to keep the US president on side.
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