Trump calls Nato allies 'cowards'
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
US President says Nato allies are "cowards" for refusing to help open the Strait of Hormuz, as the head of the International Energy Agency claims the closure of the waterway poses the "greatest global energy security challenge in history”.
Also in the programme: Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat on celebrating the ancient Persian festival of Nowruz; and the action movie star, and martial arts expert Chuck Norris has died aged 86.
(Photo: US President Trump departs the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago on 20 March 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesbby. |
| 0:15.6 | You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side. |
| 0:22.0 | The latest comments from President Trump when asked about ending the war with Iran. |
| 0:27.5 | Earlier in the day, he referred to NATO allies on social media as cowards for refusing to help his forces to open the strait of Hormuz. |
| 0:35.8 | In the past couple of hours, the British government says it will let US forces use its airbases |
| 0:41.0 | to launch strikes specifically against Iranian elements targeting the strait. |
| 0:46.7 | But Mr Trump said the UK should have acted a lot faster. |
| 0:50.8 | Meanwhile, the head of the International Energy Agency has told the BBC that governments are failing to understand that the closure of the waterway poses the greatest global energy security challenge in history. |
| 1:04.0 | More on that in a moment. |
| 1:05.6 | But today is not only Eid, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan for Muslims around the world, but for Iranians, |
| 1:12.3 | it's also Noiruz, the ancient Persian festival of New Year. And to mark the day, a new written |
| 1:19.5 | statement has been released. We're told it comes from the new Supreme Leader of Iran, |
| 1:24.8 | Majtaba Haminae, although he hasn't been seen or heard of since taking the post, |
| 1:30.2 | but we've voiced up part of the statement. |
| 1:32.8 | This war has been carried out under the illusion that if the head of the system was assassinated, |
| 1:38.6 | as well as a number of key military figures, it would create fear and despair among you, |
| 1:44.0 | our dear people, causing you to |
| 1:45.9 | abandon the field. The enemy imagined it could realise its dream of dominating Iran and then |
| 1:51.9 | dividing it. But you, during this blessed month of Ramadan, have created a vast defensive |
| 1:58.3 | front across the country. In doing so, you've delivered a staggering blow to the enemy. |
| 2:04.3 | So how have ordinary Iranians been marking Nauru's? |
... |
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