European countries are stiffening their resistance to U.S. requests for help against Iran despite President Donald Trump’s growing fury against Washington’s historic allies.
Spain has emerged as a key point of tension in the transatlantic rift. Madrid has barred U.S. military aircraft involved in the Middle East conflict from using its airspace and refused access to key bases, Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Monday, reaffirming the government’s opposition to the operation.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Tuesday said Warsaw had “no plans” to relocate its Patriot air defense systems to the Middle East. “Poland’s security is an absolute priority,” he wrote on X. Italy, too, on Tuesday said it had refused U.S. Iran-bound bombers access to its Sigonella air base in Sicily.
Since the U.S. and Israel began strikes against Tehran on Feb. 28, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have resisted sending warships to the Gulf. In March, they backed a joint statement with partners including Japan and Canada supporting “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz — but only once the fighting stops, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed.
Tensions have since escalated further. On Tuesday, Trump said France had closed its airspace to aircraft transporting military supplies to Israel, blasting Paris as “VERY UNHELPFUL” and warning: “The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!”
He also warned European allies that securing the Strait of Hormuz would be their responsibility, not Washington’s.