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US President Donald Trump complained on Thursday that the US was the only country not celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany in the Second World War last week, even though “we won the war.”

He made the comments during an address to US troops stationed in Qatar, where he’s making his second stop as part of a three-country, four-day tour of the Middle East.

Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It also supported the recent US air campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, though the strikes themselves came from two aircraft carriers in the region.

Speaking about Victory Day celebrations in Europe, Trump said “Everybody was celebrating but us, and we’re the ones that won the war.”

“They helped, but without us they don’t win the war, we’re all speaking German, you know that, right?”

Trump then singled out France, a country which he said he “likes”, but added “I think we did a little more to win the war than France did.”

“Now, we love France, right? But I think we did a little more to win the war than France. Do we agree? I don’t want to be a wise guy, but when Hitler made a speech at the Eiffel Tower, I would say that wasn’t exactly ideal,” said Trump.

The visit to Qatar was of major importance to the Trump administration. In a state dinner hosted by the Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Trump’s honour on Wednesday, Trump appealed to Doha for help in dealing with Iran, particularly its nuclear programme.

The 47th US president has repeatedly expressed his desire to strike a deal with Tehran over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, in hopes of getting the country to scale back its development.

Over the years, Qatar has served played a crucial role, from mediating between the United States and Iran – and its proxies – including during negotiations with Hamas, which is supported by Tehran, amidst the ongoing 19-month war with Israel.

“I hope you can help me with the Iran situation,” said Trump during remarks at the formal dinner. “It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing.”

The request directed towards Qatar followed President Trump’s statement to leaders at a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting on Wednesday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he expressed his desire to “make a deal,” contingent upon Tehran ceasing its support for proxy groups across the Middle East as a prerequisite for any prospective accord.

In 2015, under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama, the United States and Iran reached a nuclear agreement whereby Iran committed to significantly decreasing its uranium stockpile and limiting enrichment to a maximum of 3.67%.

This agreement was however terminated during President Trump’s first term in office.

Currently, Iran enriches uranium to levels of up to 60%, a minor technical step away from the threshold required for weapons-grade material. Tehran also possesses a sufficient stockpile to produce several nuclear weapons if it so decides to pursue that.

The Qatari emir told US broadcaster Fox News on Wednesday that “we agree that we want a nuclear-free region, and we cannot afford a nuclear race in that region.”

But, Al Thani said, “Iran has its right to have a nuclear — a civilian nuclear power, while not also representing any challenge or any threat for anyone in the region.” He said the issue needs to be resolved diplomatically.

Since the beginning of last month, Washington and Tehran have participated in four rounds of discussions regarding the latter’s nuclear programme. Trump has expressed his belief that reaching a deal is achievable, but warned that time is quickly running out.

During the state dinner, he urged Iran’s leaders to take action promptly or face the potential escalation of the situation into direct conflict.

“Because things like that get started and they get out of control,” said the 47th US president. “I’ve seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we’re not going to let that happen.”

Al-Thani said he had high hopes for Trump’s efforts with Iran and at ending the war on Gaza.

“I know that you are a man of peace,” he said. “I know that you want to bring peace to this region.”