Trump threatens troop cuts in Germany, Spain and Italy over Iran war stance
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As President Donald Trump continues to vent anger at NATO’s European allies for not helping in the war with Iran, he is making clear that their actions come with a price.
In the weeks during the war and since the armistice, the president has responded to many of these countries not just with words but with decisive action.
Germany
On Saturday, Trump said he would withdraw more than the initial 5,000 U.S. troops in Germany as the Pentagon had indicated., After the Berlin leader denigrated America’s efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from producing nuclear weapons.
IN CASE OF CONFLICT WITH THE CHANCELLOR DUE TO THE IRAN WAR, TRUMP IS PUTTING IMPORTANCE ON WITHDRAWING US SOLDIERS FROM GERMANY
President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2026, to discuss issues including recent U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The day before, he had said about Germany, “We will reduce a lot. We will cut well over 5,000.” The Trump administration had previously announced a reduction of 5,000 troops in Germany after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian regime had “humiliated” Trump.
In an apparent state of panic, Merz backtracked on Sunday on his attack on Trump and his Iran strategy. He wrote of Chancellor X: “The United States is and will remain Germany’s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Trump stepped up troop reductions against Germany following his comments calling for the reduction of US military forces in Spain and Italy because they were unable to help America in the war against Iran. The president’s anger at Western European countries has been simmering for weeks and could lead to sweeping changes in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
TRUMP CRITICISMS SPAIN BETWEEN IRAN AND NATO WHILE PRIME MINISTER SANCHEZ FACES QUESTIONS OVER POLITICAL MOTIVES
Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Center at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital: “The lack of support for the United States was nothing short of treasonous. I think the president has every right to be outraged about the lack of support from important European allies.”
An Iranian flag is raised in the rubble of a police station damaged by airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, on March 3, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
He said: “There is a deep-rooted cultural tolerance for the Iranian regime in Europe, going back decades, and an outright refusal to accept the reality of the enormous dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. European leaders are sleepwalking towards destruction through this dangerous path they are following.”
TRUMP IS RIGHT ABOUT NATO’S WEAKNESS – THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW AMERICA WILL FIX IT
“The lack of support for the United States is an indication of how far Europe has gone towards losing its moral compass. Iran is a genocidal regime that threatens to wipe Israel off the map.” He stated that the Islamic Republic killed large numbers of its population.
“If you listen to European leaders, the bad guy here is the United States,” said Gardiner, a former adviser to Lady Thatcher.
Speaking at Marsberg last week, Merz criticized the US approach to Iran, saying Washington was “humiliated by the Iranian leadership” and expressing hope that the conflict would end “as quickly as possible”.
Gardiner said of Merz’s remarks: “Such comments actually help propagate the Iranian dictatorship. It is surprising that a German chancellor would make such statements in wartime… and the German chancellor appeases the Iranian regime. It is disgusting.”
Multiple Fox News Digital press questions sent to Merz’s spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, were not answered.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the US conflict with Iran “reckless” and “unfair”. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
Spain and Italy
Before announcing the withdrawal of troops from Germany, Trump responded to a question about reducing US troops in Spain and Italy: “So, they’re not exactly on board. Yeah, probably. Yeah, I probably will… Italy hasn’t done us any good. And Spain sucked. Absolutely sucked.”
Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took an aggressive stance against US and Israeli military action against the Iranian regime, banning the US from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action. He called the campaign illegal while remaining silent on the regime’s killing of thousands of protesters and its growing push to produce ballistic missiles and obtain nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.
Gardiner said, “The Spanish are by far the worst. At least the Germans and Italy allowed the use of their bases. The Spanish refused to cooperate in any way with the war.” he said.
Last month, Trump told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera about the country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, “I was shocked by him. I thought he had courage, but I was wrong.”
Europe expert Gardiner sees a huge gap between the way Western European countries and the United States view the preservation of Western civilization, freedom, democracy and liberty.
French President Emmanuel Macron listens to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a working session with world leaders at the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, on June 13, 2024. (Andrew Medichini/AP)
“Europe has lost the ability and will to fight. The United States is openly willing to fight to defend Western civilization and the free world. Most of Europe, especially Western Europe, has given up on this. It is a mentality of appeasement combined with weakness and pacifism, as well as the increasing acceptance by European leaders of mass immigration and Islamization.”
He added: “Europe has fundamentally changed beyond recognition in the last two decades, and yet Europe’s ruling elites accept this as an apparent fact, with some notable exceptions.”
France and England
Trump took Britain and France to task in March over their positions on war against Iran.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The country of France does not allow planes loaded with military supplies destined for Israel to fly over French territory.”
“France HELPED A LOT regarding the successful elimination of the ‘Butcher of Iran’! USA WILL REMEMBER!!!” he wrote.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on February 17, 2025, ahead of an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security. (Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump also wrote: “To all the countries that cannot get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the UK, which refuses to be involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you.”
“No. 1, buy in the USA, we have lots of it, and No. 2, gather some overdue courage, head to the Bosphorus and just BUY.”
“You’re going to have to start learning how to fight for yourself. The United States won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you’re not there for us. Most of Iran has been destroyed. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
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Gardiner said the crisis over the Iran war showed that Europe had surrendered. The great Western Europeans have embraced “defeat” and “don’t care. It’s that simple. And future generations will have to pay the price for the path Europe is currently on,” he said.
Fox News’ Brittany Miller and Solly Boussidan contributed to this report.
