US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with NATO foreign ministers on May 22, 2026, in Helsingborg, Sweden, to discuss tensions arising from President Donald Trump's frustration over NATO allies denying US military use of their bases for operations related to the Iran war [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Rubio said, "You have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases - well then why are you in NATO? That's a very fair question" [1]. He confirmed the president’s “disappointment” with NATO allies’ response to US requests for base access in support of the Middle East war [2]. Trump expressed being "very disappointed" with countries such as Spain who refused US military use of their bases in this context [1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9].
The US announced plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe, initially reported as coming from Germany. However, statements remained contradictory, with some sources clarifying the move might instead delay or cancel a brigade deployment to Poland [1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9]. Rubio said troop adjustments in Europe would be discussed during the meeting, but exact numbers and locations remained unclear [2, 4]. The US also cancelled plans to deploy long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany [1, 7, 8].
NATO members expressed readiness to share greater responsibility for European security and to support maintaining freedom of navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow [1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9]. Iran has restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, raising concerns about global energy flows [1, 6, 9]. Rubio said, "We have to have a plan B for if someone is shooting, then how do you reopen the straits? I don’t know if that would be a Nato mission necessarily, but it would certainly be Nato countries that can contribute to it" [2].
The Iran war started on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. A ceasefire took effect on April 8, 2026, but lasting peace agreements have not been reached [5]. On the same day as the NATO meeting, Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran to advance mediation efforts between Iran and the US aimed at ending the conflict [5].
