US President Donald Trump criticized NATO allies on June 24 for not supporting the US military campaign against Iran, saying the US "demolished" Iran in the first week and did not need help but wished allies had offered assistance [1, 2, 3, 4]. Trump said, "We were let down. We didn't need help on this at all. We demolished (Iran) literally in the first week but it would have been nice if they would have said, 'We'd like to help.'" He singled out the UK, Germany and France for failing to back the effort, adding, "If anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down" [1, 2].
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte defended the alliance and its members in the White House meeting, highlighting that between 4,000 and 5,000 US planes operated from European bases during the Iran conflict [1, 5, 2, 3, 4]. He said, "When it comes to NATO, I know there is disappointment, but let's also see that these are isolated cases, because there is something more to say about this. Country after country, ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury" [6]. Rutte noted 500 US planes operated from Italian bases as part of "Operation Epic Fury" and cited allied support through pre-positioning assets and demining near the Strait of Hormuz [6].
Rutte praised Trump's leadership and commitment to NATO, calling him "leader of the free world" and saying Trump is "completely committed to the NATO alliance" [1, 5, 2, 3, 4]. He argued the campaign was aimed at degrading Iran's nuclear capability, stating, "I think the president is doing exactly what is needed, degrading Iran's nuclear capability. Could you imagine if Iran would get its hands on a nuclear weapon? It would be devastating for the region and the whole world" [6].
The US and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, without prior consultation with NATO allies, adding to tensions within the alliance [1, 3, 4]. The Pentagon has informed allies it is reducing US global assets available for NATO operations as US strategic focus shifts toward China [1, 3, 4].
Rutte also highlighted that European NATO members have increased defense spending significantly since Trump took office, referring to this as "The Trump Trillion" and "The Trump 47 Effect," reflecting enhanced burden sharing [5, 2].
Less than two weeks before the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, tensions remain high among the alliance’s 32 members over the Iran war and differing views on cooperation [1, 2, 3, 4]. The summit is expected to address these strains on transatlantic relations.
The NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara will bring together 32 member nations amid strained US-Europe relations following the Iran conflict [1].
