The US-Israeli war on Iran is exposing deep fissures in US-EU ties, with NATO allies increasingly resisting Washington’s unilateral approach and renewing calls for greater European strategic autonomy.
Abbas Hashemite
The First Trump Presidency and the Strain on Alliances
The recent events, especially the Iran war, have increased mistrust between the US and the EU to an unprecedented level, creating a deep fracture in the transatlantic unity
Propelled by the “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” doctrine, the Trump administration, in its first tenure, adopted an explicitly confrontational stance towards its European allies, accusing them of being unfair to the United States on trade and criticizing NATO members as defaulting and delinquent for not contributing their fair share on defense. President Trump even questioned the significance of NATO, and persistently threatened to withdraw from the coalition. During his first tenure, Trump’s disregard for allies disrupted the core foundations of transatlantic unity, compelling major EU nations, including France and Germany, to push for greater European strategic autonomy.
Escalation in the Second Term and the Iran Crisis
Predictably, he reinforced this aggressive posture towards the European allies during his second tenure. Trump trembled NATO allies by threatening that he would prompt Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any member state if they did not contribute their fair share in the alliance’s defense, and accused the EU of being set up to take advantage of the United States, besides threatening to impose heavy trade tariffs on the European allies. President Trump’s repeated threats to NATO and EU allies and his now apparently aborted mission to forcibly occupy Greenland strengthened a belief in the European Union that Washington has embarked on a confrontational trajectory. In his first tenure, President Trump rattled the foundations of the transatlantic alliance by questioning its applicability. In his second tenure, he fractured the alliance widely, which became visible during the Iran war, pushing transatlantic unity to the verge of rupture.
Driven by President Trump’s unilateralist instincts, the United States and Israel launched the Iran war without any consultation – or even informing – their NATO allies. While the United States has long dominated US–EU relations as the alliance’s most powerful member, it has traditionally sought allied consultation before launching military operations to bolster political legitimacy. This unilateral military operation against Iran challenged one of the key pillars of this alliance: consultative decision-making. This demonstrates that the United States now considers the NATO allies its subordinates who must follow its lead rather than strategic partners.
However, this approach resulted in Europe’s antagonism as it declined to follow Washington’s footsteps. Many of the European nations explicitly distanced themselves from the US war against Iran. The United Kingdom also stated that “this is not our war” and only provided limited access to the US to its military bases for conducting only defensive strikes against Iran. France also asserted that this war falls outside the realm of international law and criticized the Trump administration for weakening NATO. Germany and Italy also criticized the US and openly rejected Trump’s demand for military deployments against Iran.
In response, President Trump criticized and rebuked the European leadership for denying his demands. He called NATO a “paper tiger” and once again threatened to withdraw from the alliance. He also stated, “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself; the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” He further stated, increasing uncertainty over the US’s future commitment to the alliance, “Why would we be there for them if they are not there for us?” In addition, he also announced the withdrawal of 5000 US troops from Germany due to the German Chancellor’s criticism and threatened further cuts, deepening fissures in the alliance. Reports suggest that the Trump administration is considering options to punish NATO over non-compliance with its demands.
Conclusion: A Future Defined by Friction and Flux
Indeed, President Trump would need a two-thirds Senate majority or an act of Congress to withdraw from the NATO alliance. However, the recent events, especially the Iran war, have increased mistrust between the US and the EU to an unprecedented level, creating a deep fracture in the transatlantic unity. Due to the strong institutionalized nature of this alliance, it may not collapse immediately, but the ever-growing friction suggests that the coalition has been damaged beyond repair. Trump’s first tenure was a wake-up call for European nations, but they identified it as a temporary deviation. However, Trump, in his contemporary tenure, has demonstrated that MAGA is a deep-rooted phenomenon in US politics. Therefore, European leadership must prepare for persistent fluctuations in this alliance, which would be anything but a predictable and reliable relationship that has characterized transatlantic unity for more than a century.
Аbbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist
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