Tensions between the United States and its transatlantic NATO allies have reached a new boiling point, after U.S. President Donald Trump launched another sharp public rebuke of the alliance on Wednesday, accusing member states of failing to come to Washington’s aid during the ongoing conflict with Iran. The attack came the same day NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Washington on a high-stakes trip designed to mend fraying ties between the two sides that have deteriorated sharply during Trump’s second term in office.
Trump’s criticism came after closed-door talks with Rutte at the White House, which the NATO chief later described as unflinchingly candid. In a post on his Truth Social platform following the meeting, Trump doubled down on his grievances, claiming “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.” He also invoked an earlier point of contention with European allies, referencing Greenland as “that big, poorly run, piece of ice” — a nod to his previous push for the U.S. to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, which drew widespread backlash across Europe.
Rutte acknowledged the depth of U.S. frustration in comments to CNN, confirming that “Trump is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies” and reiterating that the conversation had been “very frank, very open.”
The current rift stems directly from the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year. After Trump called on NATO allies to join U.S. operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed during the conflict, the alliance rejected the request. The anger deepened when several European nations, including Spain and Italy, refused U.S. requests to use their national airspace for military operations tied to the Iran campaign, a decision that left Trump publicly enraged.
Over the past month, Trump has stepped up his repeated attacks on NATO, repeatedly slamming the alliance for its lack of support for the U.S. war effort and issuing open threats to withdraw the U.S. from the decades-long collective defense treaty. This latest public criticism signals that even direct diplomatic outreach from the new NATO leadership has failed to ease the standoff. Longstanding tensions over defense spending, trade policy, and Trump’s unilateral approach to foreign policy have already strained transatlantic ties, and the combination of the Iran war and the Greenland dispute has widened the split to its widest point in decades.
Citing unnamed senior U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration is actively drafting a punitive plan to retaliate against NATO allies that have refused to back the 39-day U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran. According to the report, the proposal has been circulating among senior administration officials for weeks and has gained tangible support from top Trump advisers.
Under the draft plan, the U.S. Department of Defense would reposition American troops currently stationed across NATO member states that Washington deems unhelpful, relocating these forces to European nations that have shown clear support for the U.S. position in the Iran war. The proposal also includes the potential permanent closure of at least one major U.S. military base in Europe, with Spain and Germany named as the most likely candidates for base closures. The Journal reported that nations widely viewed as supportive of the U.S. campaign — including Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece — would receive the relocated U.S. forces under the plan.