Trump called the attitude of Italy and Spain on the war with Iran terrible and allows the withdrawal of American troops. The idea of the US leaving NATO is also openly toyed with.
US President Donald Trump admitted on Thursday that he would probably consider withdrawing US troops from Italy and Spain, which he has criticized for their stance on the war with Iran. The day before, he announced that the US was considering reducing the number of troops in Germany and that a decision would be made soon. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
Asked if he would also consider withdrawing troops from Spain and Italy, Trump said it was “probable.” “Look, why wouldn’t I? Italy didn’t help us at all and Spain was terrible, absolutely terrible,” he said of two countries that have also been critical of the Iran war.
He is threatening an embargo
The head of the White House had already threatened to impose a trade embargo on Spain in March after Madrid refused to allow US military aircraft to fly over its territory or use Spanish military bases for operations related to attacks on Iran.
By December 2025, the United States had more than 68,000 soldiers on active duty permanently stationed at its bases in Europe, according to Reuters data from the US Department of Defense. More than half of them are stationed in Germany. The reluctance of NATO allies to get involved in the war conflict that engulfed the Middle East at the turn of February and March is repeatedly the target of Trump’s sharp criticism. For this reason, he recently even said that he was considering the withdrawal of the US from NATO.
