Ankara, July 8 -- US President Donald Trump has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the response of NATO allies regarding the military conflict with Iran, revealing that he used the crisis as a test of alliance solidarity.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, the US President confirmed that his long-standing scepticism regarding the Western alliance had intensified following recent friction over strategic military cooperation.

For a considerable period, Trump has publicly questioned whether Washington's closest international partners possess the strength, loyalty, or utility required to justify the American security guarantees...