WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, calling them "cowards" for their reluctance to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk," Trump wrote.

"COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!" he added.

Trump admitted on Tuesday his escort demand has been rejected by most NATO members and U.S. allies, saying he is "disappointed" in NATO's decision while asserting the United States does "not need the help of anyone."

"We no longer 'need,' or desire, the NATO Countries' assistance -- WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea," Trump wrote in a post on Tuesday.

"Europe has no interest in an open-ended war," Kaja Kallas, the European Union's (EU's) top diplomat, said of the US-Israeli war with Iran in Brussels on Monday. "This is not Europe's war, but Europe's interests are directly at stake.”