Washington, April 7 : US President Donald Trump sharply criticised NATO and key US allies for not supporting Washingtonâ??s military campaign against Iran, calling the alliance a â??paper tigerâ??.

â??NATO is a paper tiger,â?? Trump said, arguing that the alliance had failed to step up during the conflict.

He said allies had â??gone out of their way not to helpâ?? and even declined to provide logistical support. â??They didnâ??t even want to give us landing strips,â?? he said.

Trump broadened the criticism to include countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia. â??Japan didnâ??t help usâ?¦ Australia didnâ??t help usâ?¦ South Korea didnâ??t help us,â?? he said.

He suggested that the United States had carried the burden of the conflict alone. â??NATO is us,â?? he said, emphasising US dominance within the alliance.

The comments reflect growing tensions between Washington and its allies as the Iran war escalates.

According to The Wall Street Journal, many US partners view Washingtonâ??s approach as â??unpredictableâ?? and are reluctant to join the conflict despite relying on American security guarantees.

The report noted that the war has placed allies â??in front of an uneasy dilemmaâ??, particularly as energy disruptions and economic fallout mount.

Trump also criticised European allies for their stance, saying they had refused to participate despite longstanding ties.

The lack of allied involvement marks a departure from previous US-led conflicts, where coalition support was a key component.

â??I have to tell you, I'm very disappointed in NATO, very. I think it's a mark on NATO that will never disappear in my mind,â?? Trump said in response to a question.

â??No, it's not a danger,â?? he said in response to a question.

â??We went to NATO. I didn't ask very strongly. I just said, hey, if you want to help, great ...no, no no, we will not help. I said, that's all right. You don't want to help -- because I've always said NATOs a paper tiger. See, NATOs a paper tiger,â?? Trump said.

â??Putin's not afraid of NATO. Putin's afraid of us, very afraid of us, and he's explained it to me a lot of times. I got to know him very well. I know him very well. NATO is a paper tiger. NATO is US. ...obviously, they haven't helped at all, just the opposite. They've actually gone out of their way not to help. They didn't even want to give us landing strips,â?? he said.

â??Think of it. And it's not just NATO. You know who else didn't help us? South Korea didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Australia didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Japan. We've got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well, as you know,â?? Trump said.

/IANS