WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened Monday to permanently freeze US funding to the World Health Organization unless "substantive improvements" were made within the next 30 days.

Washington suspended funding to the WHO in mid-April, accusing it of being too close to Beijing and covering up and mismanaging the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Trump tweeted images of a letter he sent to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, informing the director-general that "if the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization."