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SLAPPED DOWN: Trump Just Told Israel AND NATO No — Here's Why

  • Independent News Roundup By Independent News Roundup
  • Mar 22, 2026

Trump rejected Israel's South Pars strike and blasted NATO as "cowards" — both serve Britain's Great Game. The Japan deal shows what replaces it: sovereign energy, nuclear power, and critical minerals.

Susan Kokinda

President Trump publicly rejected Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field and criticized NATO for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, arguing both reflect a long-running “Great Game” strategy centered on energy choke points and instability. Susan Kokinda says these moves follow Trump's December National Security Strategy, which prioritizes avoiding “forever wars,” preventing adversaries from dominating Middle East energy routes, and making choke-point leverage obsolete through American energy independence. She highlights administration comments that Israel “doesn’t hate the chaos” while the U.S. wants stability, and notes shifting U.S. political dynamics as figures in both parties question allies who won’t contribute. Kokinda points to new U.S.-Japan agreements—over $60B in U.S. natural gas investment, $40B for small modular nuclear reactors, and deep-sea critical minerals cooperation—as the model for a new, nation-to-nation strategic architecture.

00:00 The Saturday Wrap-Up - SLAPPED DOWN: Trump Just Told Israel AND NATO No — Here's Why - March 21, 2026
02:06 What Is Driving Trump’s Break With Israel, NATO, and London
04:22 NATO’s COWARDICE
08:43 The Japan Deal — What the New World Looks Like

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