President Donald Trump has announced that the United States is withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, citing European allies’ refusal to support the war against Iran as the breaking point in what he called a “one-way street” alliance.
“NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, echoing a post he made following a contentious Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in April. “I always knew they were a paper tiger.”
The announcement, made in a series of social media posts and remarks to reporters Wednesday morning, marks the most significant rupture in transatlantic relations since NATO’s founding in 1949. Watch:
The decision comes after months of escalating tensions between Washington and its European allies over the U.S.-Iran conflict, which began with a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 .
The Trump administration had demanded that NATO members provide military support—including base access, naval assets for Strait of Hormuz escort operations, and direct participation in operations against Iran.
European nations, however, uniformly rejected the request. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain all refused to participate, with several leaders explicitly stating that the Iran war was not a NATO conflict.
“We were not consulted beforehand, and there is no United Nations authorization,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at the timed. Spain went further, closing its airspace to all flights related to U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had foreshadowed the move, telling Fox News in April that the U.S. would need to “re-examine” its NATO membership. “If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio said.
European Leaders React with Alarm
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who met with Trump multiple times in recent months in an effort to preserve the alliance, expressed “deep disappointment” following the announcement. In April, after a tense White House meeting, Rutte acknowledged Trump was “clearly disappointed” with European allies but argued that refusals to support the Iran campaign were “isolated cases”. .
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated his position that the UK would not be “dragged into the conflict whatever the pressure and whoever it’s coming from”. However, officials across Europe have expressed concern about the security vacuum the U.S. withdrawal would create.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that Europe must now “accelerate strategic autonomy”. Discussions among European nations about a “European NATO” framework—which would retain the alliance’s command structure while placing more leadership roles in European hands—have intensified in recent weeks.