The White House has singled out the UK for criticism in the past over its reluctance to be drawn into the Middle East conflict
A failure of allies to support the US military offensive against Iran was “unconscionable”, the country’s defence secretary has said and warned “we will remember”.
Pete Hegseth and US President Donald Trump have both singled out the UK for criticism in the past over its reluctance to be drawn into the Middle East conflict.
The latest rebuke was contained in a written statement by Mr Hegseth to powerful appropriations subcommittees in Congress which oversee defence spending.
Mr Hegseth also warned there will be “consequences” for Nato members that “do not step up”.
It came as it was revealed the cost of the Iran war had risen to around 29 billion dollars (£21.4 billion) – up from the 25 billion dollars (£18.5 billion) reported nearly two weeks ago.
The mounting cost of the conflict and the impact on US weapons stockpiles have raised concerns on Capitol Hill.
Motorists in the US have also seen petrol prices soar by more than 50% since the outbreak of hostilities, triggered by US and Israeli strikes.
In retaliation, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and gas supplies, sparking a global energy crisis.
This led the US to impose its own blockade of Iranian ports, leading to a stand-off.
The soaring cost of fuel in the US has fed into domestic discontent over the war and fuelled Republican concerns in the run-up to the November midterm elections, which will decide the make-up of Congress and a host of state governorships.
But Mr Trump has said he was not considering the economic cost of the war to householders and argued the only thing that mattered was preventing Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
There is set to be no let up after Mr Trump said the Iran ceasefire was on “life support” and dismissed Tehran’s peace proposal as “garbage”, causing oil prices to again increase sharply.
In his written statement, Mr Hegseth said Nato in the post-Cold War era had become “beset by freeriding” and needed to change with allies “finally stepping up and making good on their commitments to our collective defence”.
He said: “Not all allies have gotten the message, and where they do not step up, there will be consequences.
“In recent weeks, for instance, far too many of our Nato allies showed that they could not be relied upon to support our nation’s operations against Iran – despite the fact that they themselves are far more reliant on Middle East energy markets than we are and also share our interest in denying Iran a nuclear weapons and otherwise degrading Iran’s power projection capabilities.
“This is unconscionable – and we will remember.”
He continued: “Americans want partners – not dependencies. And, thanks to President Trump’s visionary leadership, that is what we are building. Real partnerships and alliances based on hard power.
“Our allies aren’t powerless. They are nations capable of doing far more for themselves than they have. It’s time they stood up, and some of them are.”
He hailed “model allies” including Israel, South Korea, Poland, Finland and the Baltic countries, while the UK and France were notably not mentioned.
Mr Hegseth has previously dismissed efforts being led by the two nations to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict is over as “silly”.
The future defensive mission would see the UK deploy autonomous mine-hunting equipment, anti-drone systems and Typhoon jets, alongside the destroyer HMS Dragon.
The US has already announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Germany, while Mr Trump has also threatened to withdraw military personnel from Italy and Spain over their stance on the war.
During the Congressional hearings, Mr Hegseth faced criticism from Republicans over the White House’s fractious relations with long-term allies.
Senator Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on defence, said: “Nato is the most important military alliance in world history.
“It seems to me that a lot of the European countries think that we’re reducing our influence there, they’re sort of on their own.”
Separately, congressman Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House appropriations committee, said: “America First has never meant America alone.
“American power is most effective when it’s exercised in concert with like-minded nations who share our interests and our values.”
Mr Trump is on a trip to China where he is expected to urge President Xi Jinping to put pressure on Iran.
