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US President Donald Trump says he is considering pulling his country’s troops out of allies Spain and Italy due to their opposition of the US-Israeli war in Iran, which just entered its third month.
The remarks came just a day after the US president proposed a similar reduction in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised the Trump administration over its war strategy, suggesting it was ill-conceived and adding that Tehran was humiliating Washington.
“Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn’t I?” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about Spain and Italy.
“Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
The US president added that the war in Iran helps the entire world, including Spain, Italy and Germany, and criticised what he called “so-called allies” for not participating in their efforts to “eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat”.
As of December 31, 2025, there were 36,436 active-duty US troops in Germany, 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. It’s unclear what level of reduction the Trump administration is mulling, but some US media outlets have suggested that it could be significant.
The US leader has been bitterly critical of NATO allies for failing to help with the US-Israeli ‘operation’ against Iran or with keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for oil tanker, cargo and maritime traffic.
Following Italian prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s criticisms of Trump’s war last month, the US president slammed in a surprise attack his formerly close right-wing ally, saying she “lacks courage” for not standing up to domestic pressure and publicly supporting or endorsing the war efforts.
His row with Spain however goes back longer, with criticisms first starting around Spain’s position against Israel over the war on Gaza, and later extending to differences with Madrid over increasing NATO defence spending requirements.
The US president had rallied all NATO members to increase their defence expenditure to 5% of GDP, all whom agreed by last year’s NATO Summit in the Hague, except Spain, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying he will only do what is beneficial to his country, and opting to keep expenditure the same.
The Trump administration has lashed out at Spain numerous times since, threatened to cut off trade with the Iberian nation, and more recently, called for their removal from the defence alliance.
Last week, a report said that the United States was again considering trying to suspend Spain from NATO over its refusal to support Washington’s war in Iran, which has upended the broader region and sent global oil prices spiralling.
Brent crude, the international standard, closed trading on Friday evening at around $114 a barrel, a dramatic surge from pre-war prices of just $70 a barrel.
Additional sources • AFP