U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that he might consider withdrawing American forces from Spain and Italy, stating he would "probably" remove troops from both countries. Trump made these statements in the Oval Office, following discussions about a similar step in Germany. "Italy had 'not been of any help to us,' and accused Spain of being 'absolutely horrible'," Trump said, adding, "ربما قد يحدث ذلك. لم لا أفعل ذلك؟ إيطاليا لم تساعدنا إطلاقًا، وإسبانيا تصرفت بشكل سيء" (Perhaps that will happen. Why shouldn't I do that? Italy has not helped us at all, and Spain has behaved badly). He also remarked, "ينبغي ألا ننسى أنه عندما احتجنا إليهم لم يكونوا هناك" (We should not forget that when we needed them, they were not there). The threats followed his Wednesday statement considering reducing U.S. Troops in Germany after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said America was being "humiliated" by Iran.
Broader NATO Criticism
Donald Trump has also criticized NATO more broadly, stating the alliance did not support the United States in its war on Iran. The former president claimed Washington provided significant support to European countries regarding Ukraine but did not receive similar cooperation on the Iranian issue. Trump has severely criticized NATO allies for not deploying their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz. All three European NATO allies, including Spain, have been critical of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has spoken out against the conflict from its inception. German politician Friedrich Merz previously stated that "America was being 'humiliated' by Iran" in the Middle East conflict. In an unrelated incident, a statuette belonging to Pavel Talankin, co-director of the documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin, disappeared after officials at New York’s John F Kennedy airport confiscated it before a flight, citing it could be used as a weapon.
European Allies' Responses
Both Spain and Italy have denied U.S. Military planes involved in the Iran war from using their bases. Rome, for instance, had maintained a careful balancing act until late March, when it refused the use of an airbase in Sicily for U.S. Planes carrying weapons for Iran. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto responded to the comments regarding a potential withdrawal, telling media outlet ANSA he "wouldn’t understand the reasons" for such a move. In contrast to Rome and Madrid, Berlin does permit the U.S. To utilize its Ramstein Air Base to coordinate military operations targeting Iran. The United States currently has approximately 12,000 armed forces personnel stationed in Italy, while Spain hosts about 3,800 troops. Despite Mr. Trump's remarks, defense officials informed POLITICO that there are no immediate plans for a troop drawdown, though they are taking his comments seriously.
Troop Numbers and Context
Germany hosts a higher number of U.S. Troops in Europe, with over 36,000 personnel stationed there. Donald Trump's remarks about potential troop withdrawals from Spain and Italy follow similar threats aimed at Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week. Merz previously stated that "America was being 'humiliated' by Iran" in the Middle East conflict. In a separate development, the European Union’s trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur provisionally enters into force today. This agreement, designed to create one of the world’s biggest free-trade zones, was sealed in January after more than 25 years of intermittent negotiations. Combined, the EU and Mercosur account for 30 percent of global GDP and more than 700 million consumers.
