US President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw American troops from Italy and Spain, a day after he said he was considering reducing the number deployed in Germany. The threats follow public criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran by European leaders.
Trump has severely criticised Nato allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial commercial shipping corridor. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has opposed the US-Israeli war on Iran from the start, while Italy refused the use of an airbase in Sicily for US planes carrying weapons for Iran in late March.
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he did not understand Trump's motives for the threat. Neither Sánchez nor Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have offered an immediate response to Trump's comments.
The US president's threat to Germany came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Trump is now calling for a review of the US military presence in Europe.
