At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Turkey, President Trump publicly called out key European allies by name for refusing to help the U.S. during its war against Iran — and then threatened to pull American protection from Europe if he doesn’t get Greenland.
Story Highlights
- Trump named Italy, Germany, France, and Spain as allies who denied U.S. requests for base access or overflight rights during the Iran operation.
- Trump declared the Iran ceasefire over at the NATO summit, and the U.S. launched new strikes on Iran shortly after.
- Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. military protection from Europe unless NATO hands over Greenland.
- NATO chief Mark Rutte pushed back, saying up to 5,000 U.S. flights launched from NATO territory during the six-week campaign against Iran.
Trump Names Names at NATO Summit
At the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said Italy, Germany, France, and Spain all refused to support the U.S. during its military campaign against Iran. He said it would have been appreciated if allies had offered help, but none did. Trump also blasted Spain specifically for denying U.S. base access and for falling short on defense spending. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker confirmed Trump is “disappointed” by allies who blocked overflight rights and base access during the operation.
Trump also reminded allies of what he called the “Trump trillion” — his claim that he pushed NATO defense spending up by more than $1.2 trillion since taking office. He framed the Iran situation as a test of the alliance. America fought, he argued, while Europe watched. That message landed hard with his base back home, where frustration over carrying NATO’s weight has built for years.
Ceasefire Over — New Strikes Begin
Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran finished at the NATO summit. Hours later, the U.S. launched new airstrikes against Iranian targets. Trump said Iran’s leaders were “scum” who could not be trusted to honor any deal. He claimed the U.S. had dealt a crushing blow to Iran’s nuclear program. A preliminary U.S. intelligence evaluation, however, described the damage as a “slight setback” of a few months — a gap between the president’s public statements and the intelligence community’s early findings.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called on NATO allies to do more to help bring the Iran conflict to a close. The broader message from the Trump team was clear: America had done the heavy lifting, and allies needed to step up or stop expecting U.S. protection.
Greenland Ultimatum Adds More Tension
Trump raised the stakes further by tying Greenland to U.S. military commitment in Europe. He told NATO leaders that if the alliance does not hand over Greenland, the U.S. may pull back its military presence on the continent. France is reportedly in talks with Turkey and Denmark over the Greenland issue, adding another fault line inside the alliance at an already tense summit.
This week, @katyballs and I discuss Trump bashing allies at the #NATO summit with threats of striking #Iran, the absurd battle for #Greenland, #NigelFarage's dramatic resignation, and Trump's bizarre #FIFAWorldCup intervention. #TheStateofItUSA #TheTimeshttps://t.co/61ea8SlXJY
— Gerard Baker (@gerardtbaker) July 8, 2026
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pushed back on Trump’s claims about zero allied support. Rutte said ally after ally opened their bases for the Iran operation, naming the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Portugal. He put the number of U.S. flights from NATO territory at up to 5,000 during the six-week campaign. European governments argue their limits were based on legal concerns — the war launched without formal consultation with the alliance — not a lack of will to support the U.S. Spain remains the one confirmed case of a full refusal of base and airspace access. The dispute over who did what and how much remains unresolved, but the rift inside the world’s most powerful military alliance is now fully in the open.
Sources:
aljazeera.com, pbs.org, youtube.com, facebook.com, edition.cnn.com, stripes.com
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