European tension with Washington over the Iran war appears to have boiled over, with the US openly saying it will reconsider its relationship with Nato once the conflict is over.
US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to walk away from the war and the alliance, as Europeans brace for a continuing surge in oil prices caused by Iran's shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
European arguments that Nato is not designed to re-open the strait by force have fallen on deaf ears, and Mr Trump has responded by saying he may pull the US out of the alliance. This would leave Europeans exposed to Russia, which they view as an existential threat.
“Let me remind you what Nato is. It is a military alliance concerned with the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not designed to carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which would be a breach of international law,” French Deputy Defence Minister Alice Rufo said on Wednesday.
Since the start of the Iran war, the US has not invoked Article 4 consultations, which any Nato country may request when it feels threatened – as Poland did in September after a salvo of Russian drone attacks.
More recently, the US was reported to have asked Poland to divert its Patriot missiles to the Middle East. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said his country had no plans to make changes. “We are not planning to relocate them anywhere,” he wrote on social media on Tuesday. “Poland's security is an absolute priority.”
Contacted by The National, the Polish Defence Ministry said there had been no such request from the US and that the minister's statement was a response to media speculation.
Transatlantic relations have been severely strained since Mr Trump's return to office in 2025, with tension peaking in January this year when he announced his intention to seize Greenland. But Europeans have generally avoided responding directly to his attacks, amid concerns he might put a complete stop to support for Ukraine's defence against Russia.
Hormuz crisis
Some countries, including France, have said they might be open to sending frigates to protect commercial ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Trump encouraged them to move quickly.
“If France or some other country wants to get oil or gas, they'll go up through the Hormuz Strait, they'll go right up there, and they'll be able to fend for themselves,” he said.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Trump said a US exit from Nato after the war was “beyond reconsideration”.
“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way,” he added.
His remarks were published just hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would have to re-examine whether Nato still serves American interests or had become a “one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe”.
Mr Rubio was reacting to France and Italy joining Spain in denying the US access to their airspace and military bases for operations against Iran. The move by Paris was singled out by Mr Trump as “very unhelpful”.
Sanchez rebuke
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been Europe's most vocal critic of the Iran war, describing it last week as a “big mistake”. He was quick to refuse the US access to military bases in Spain, prompting Mr Trump to threaten tariffs, although none have been imposed since.
Criticism of the war has been more muted in France and Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni enjoys a close relationship with Mr Trump. But the unpopularity of the conflict among the European public has led even Ms Meloni to distance herself from it.
This reflects a growing unease among Europe's far right. In comments to newspaper Le Parisien, French politician Marine Le Pen described the war as “ill-prepared” with “strikes carried out blindly”.
Over the weekend, Italian media reported that Rome had denied permission for US military aircraft to land at the Sigonella airbase in Sicily before heading to the Middle East because Washington had not sought prior authorisation from the Italian government. There was no reaction from the US.
Israeli reaction
It was France's refusal to allow US bombers to fly through its airspace when carrying military equipment for Israel that prompted the angriest reaction from Mr Trump. “The USA will remember,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Israel's Defence Ministry responded by cancelling all military orders from France, although the country accounts for less than one per cent of French military exports.
Relations between France and Israel soured last year after Paris recognised Palestine, but appeared to have improved earlier this month when French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Israel.
Although French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on a state visit to Japan, has yet to comment on Mr Trump's remarks, his office in Paris it was “surprised” by the US leader's anger.
France's position has been consistent since the beginning of the war, Mr Macron's office said – it does not allow US jets taking part in the Iran war to enter its airspace or access its military bases. However, support aircraft are permitted to land in France.
“France has not changed its position since day one, and we confirm this decision, which is in line with the French position since the beginning of this conflict,” a representative said.
All US requests, including for fighter jets and logistics aircraft, are examined on a case-by-case basis, but France had not wanted to publicise the issue until very recently, a source told Le Monde.
On March 5, France said it had allowed US aircraft to land at the Istres military base in the south of the country. According to French media, the planes in question were C-17s and KC-135 Stratotankers. Defence Minister Catherin Vautrin said they were refuelling planes.
