NATO allies are openly questioning whether the United States should continue to lead the alliance following Trump’s decision to launch strikes on Iran without consulting them.
summary
- European leaders are seriously considering a future in which the United States ceases to lead NATO, following disagreements over the Iran war.
- Trump left NATO in the dark before launching strikes on Iran and then demanded NATO support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- Analysts say Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland are the bloc most likely to assume collective leadership of NATO if the United States withdraws.
NATO allies are questioning US leadership after Trump launched strikes on Iran without consulting the alliance, with new disagreements over the Middle East conflict prompting European leaders to consider a future in which the United States no longer runs the alliance.
Former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder He said NPR wrote that “something fundamental has broken,” arguing that Trump does not believe America’s security depends on European security, a departure from decades of foreign policy logic dating back to NATO’s founding.
Tensions have been running high since Trump began threatening to seize control of NATO-linked Greenland and annex Canada, but the Iran war has exacerbated the dispute and turned it into a tangible institutional issue.
Trump launched strikes on Iran in late February without notifying coalition members, and subsequently demanded NATO support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Allies including Spain, France and the United Kingdom all to reject In various forms, which sparked a sharp rebuke from Washington.
What are European leaders doing?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said publicly that the United States appeared to lack a clear exit strategy from Iran and that Tehran had “humiliated” Washington in peace talks.
Trump responded with a list of NATO allies he wanted to punish for not cooperating, including proposals to suspend Spain and return the Falkland Islands to Argentina.
Such as crypto.news trackingHowever, each round of escalation in the war with Iran has weighed on global markets, with the Hormuz dispute pushing oil toward $100 and straining the Fed’s flexibility on interest rate cuts.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged Trump’s frustrations but pushed back on broader criticism, noting that a “large majority of European countries” provided the logistical support, base rights and overflights that enabled US operations. “What the United States did with Iran, they can do because many European countries have fulfilled these commitments,” Rutte said.
What comes next for the alliance?
Analysts who spoke to NPR said they don’t expect Trump to actually withdraw from NATO, in part because of a 2023 law prohibiting a unilateral exit. Former Supreme Commander of NATO James Townsend He said The alliance will continue, but he predicted: “It will be a European NATO, if you will. It will not be a US-led NATO.”
Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland are seen as the bloc most likely to assume collective leadership. NATO officials are also considering scaling back key alliance meetings during the remainder of Trump’s second term to avoid creating new crises.
