Since the beginning of the US-Israel war against Iran, President Donald Trump has criticized European allies for not supporting military operations against Tehran.
On Wednesday, the US president expressed his displeasure with members of the Transatlantic Alliance in a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
“I’m disappointed in Italy. I’m disappointed in England, I’m disappointed in Germany, I’m disappointed in France. I’m disappointed in most of them. Spain is a horror show,” Trump said.
NATO’s Rutte, who is on a visit to the United States to try to ease tensions across the Atlantic, defended Europe. To appease the Trump administration, he emphasized Europe’s involvement in the Iran war in media interviews.
“Ally after ally” allowed the U.S. military to use the base during the war with Iran, he said. Rutte’s comments reveal that, apart from “isolated cases,” European allies were actually supporting U.S. logistics during the war.
But the Trump administration’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, on Thursday reiterated U.S. claims that European aid has been inadequate during the conflict. “Europe’s refusal to allow military bases undermines the alliance between the continent and the United States,” he said in Manama, Bahrain’s capital.
So why is President Trump angry with his European allies, and what is the level of EU countries’ participation in the war?
How did EU countries participate?
Rutte pointed to the role played by European bases in the war, pointing, for example, to US military support in Italy and Romania during the conflicts.
If you look at the numbers, in the six weeks that this war took place, 4 to 5,000 American military aircraft took off from bases in Europe,” Rutte said in an interview on Fox News.
“I agree that there is absolutely reason to be disappointed,” Rutte said. “But my point is this: these are isolated cases.
“There is more to be said about this. We are making our bases available to countries, allies and allies for Epic Fury,” Rutte said, referring to the US-named military operation against Iran.
Rutte noted that 500 U.S. military planes flew in from bases in Italy during the so-called “Operation Epic Fury,” but Romania had to cut back on commercial flights to allow the U.S. military to store tankers at the city’s airport.
The NATO chief added that European allies continue to support the United States in defending the Strait of Hormuz. “Right now, we see large European allies pre-positioning assets near the strait to be able to assist, for example, in demining,” Rutte said.
Rutte is known to be a supporter of President Donald Trump and credited the U.S. president with forcing NATO countries to increase their defense spending. “If you look at the numbers of investments that NATO countries are currently making in their defense, the amount is staggering,” he said.
“(President Trump) has strongly encouraged everyone to do this, and we are seeing results,” Rutte added. “All of this is leadership that is needed to ensure our security in our alliance with the United States and as an alliance as a whole.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to join the war, but authorized the use of the Diego Garcia base only for defensive operations. Spain and France, which condemned the war, refused to use the air base for military purposes.
Why did EU countries avoid active participation in the war?
European countries largely supported President Trump’s military campaign against Iran, but refused to actively participate in the conflict, saying “this is not Europe’s war.”
European capitals are also reluctant, as the war has no legal basis and was started on dubious grounds, without consultation with Brussels. Trump and Israel justified the war by claiming that Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon. However, this was rejected by the US’ own intelligence services.
European countries were also on alert for violations of the laws of war, as civilians, schools, hospitals and other facilities were repeatedly attacked.
Western countries supported talks to end the war and condemned Iran for its attacks on the Gulf states. Only a few countries, including Spain, condemned Trump’s war and called for an immediate cease-fire and for all parties to respect international law. Madrid also opposed Israel’s war in Gaza, calling it genocide.
How did Iran react?
Iran seized on Rutte’s statement to accuse NATO of “active complicity” in the US-Israel war, which has killed more than 3,400 people in Iran and caused extensive damage to oil and civilian infrastructure.
“This is a clear and solemn admission of NATO’s active participation in an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign UN member state, and is a gross violation of the peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN Charter,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghai said in a post on X.
Bagai said NATO and “the individual member states that took part in such decisions must be held accountable for any consequences.”
“They must explain to their own people and to the world why they, along with all the other European countries that have supported the US and Israeli aggression against Iran, chose to be complicit in this blatant act of aggression and mass atrocities against the Iranian people.”
What does Italy have to say about Rutte’s claims?
Rutte’s comments caused an uproar in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly refused to join the war against Iran.
Roma quickly distanced itself from Rutte’s comments. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crocetto said Rutte had conveyed a “totally misleading message” by confusing authorized support flights with combat-related operations.
Italy had acted in full compliance with its constitution, international treaties and agreements governing allied military bases on its territory, he added. “As already made clear in Parliament, the government has only authorized technical and logistical and non-motor activities,” the minister said.
Italy is home to approximately 120 U.S. military installations, including Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily and Aviano Air Base in northern Italy.
Crozet added that Rome would abide by the terms of a long-standing bilateral agreement with the United States dating back to 1954, referring to a March statement in which Meloni insisted that “we are not at war and we do not want to go to war.” The agreement allows for the use of the base for certain logistics and non-combat operations, it added.
Opposition leaders are now demanding a new explanation following Rutte’s revelations.
Nicola Fratoianni, from the opposition Green Party and Left Alliance, said either the government had misled MPs or Mr Rutte had “succumbed to heatstroke”.
What’s behind the tensions between NATO and the US?
NATO, which includes European countries, the United States, and Canada, was established in 1949 to counter threats from the former Soviet Union.
Since returning to the White House in 2024, Trump has criticized NATO, often targeting military spending cuts by alliance members. He accused EU countries of taking the United States for granted as he called for the United States to share more burdens for European security. The government has already announced the withdrawal of troops from Germany.
Since then, most NATO members have pledged to increase defense spending, but not to the level demanded by President Trump. The US president wants NATO members to spend 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on national defense.
Transatlantic tensions peaked during the war with Iran, with President Trump at one point threatening to pull out of the alliance after European countries refused to help lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint.
President Trump told reporters on Wednesday, sitting across from Rutte from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), that the United States didn’t need any help because it was fighting alongside Israel, but “it would have been nice” if European countries had offered to help.
Rutte’s visit to the White House, an apparent attempt to appease President Trump, comes just two weeks after the alliance’s annual meeting in Ankara, Turkiye.
