Trump tells Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea, citing anger over Iran war

US President Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to scale back annual joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Trump writes in a social media post that the exercises, which begin today, are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he says “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.

“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump writes. The president adds that he recently asked South Korea’s president if they would join the US in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!'”

The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary. Trump and others in his administration have also railed against NATO allies over perceived lack of support for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.