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That the Iran war has strained the U.S.-Europe alliance has been obvious since bombs first started to rain down on Tehran. Spain has denied American forces use of its naval and air force bases. Italy has refused to allow U.S. bombers to refuel in Sicily. The United Kingdom and Portugal have put similar restrictions on Washington. And President Trump recently announced the U.S. will pull 5,000 of its troops from Germany after it refused to support the war.
The resulting transatlantic tension goes beyond tactical disagreements and diplomatic friction, writes international affairs scholar Farah Jan, who adds that the biggest casualty of the war may not be Iran but the U.S.-EU alliance itself. Despite Trump’s hazy vision of victory in Iran, his administration has made it explicitly clear it does not want European input. It views allies as freeloaders, writes Jan, and has threatened them with economic consequences.
Europe is quickly learning that Washington will act against their interests and at their economic expense. And although the EU remains reliant on the U.S. for intelligence and air defense, Jan adds, the Iran war, more than any other previous crisis, has made it crystal clear that Europe can no longer trust Washington to share strategic decision-making.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrive for a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 17, 2026.
Jeanne Accorsini/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania
European leaders are learning they cannot rely on Washington, and that the US will act against their interests and at their economic expense.
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