ROME — U.S. President Donald Trump on April 1 threatened to withdraw American troops from Italy and Spain unless the two countries support U.S.-led efforts against Iran and help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking in Rome, Trump criticized NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the strait.

"Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible," Trump told reporters. He also wrote on Truth Social, "Italy wasn't there for us, we won't be there for them!"

Trump also accused Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of lacking courage for not joining attacks on Iran. Last month, he threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain.

One day earlier, Trump said he was looking at reducing the number of U.S. troops deployed in Germany. U.S. legislation passed in 2024 bars a president from leaving NATO without either a two-thirds Senate majority or an act of Congress, and NATO's founding treaty does not include any mechanism for expelling a member state.

About 13,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed across seven naval bases in Italy. In late March, Italy refused to allow U.S. military aircraft bound for the Middle East to transit through the Sigonella airbase in Sicily because the U.S. sought authorisation to land only when the aircraft were already en route. According to treaties established in the late 1950s, U.S. navy bases in Italy can be used for logistical and training purposes but not for transit of aircraft carrying weapons for war unless in an emergency.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he did not understand the motives behind the threat and rejected accusations that Rome had not helped the U.S. with maritime security. "As is clear to everyone, this never happened," Crosetto told Ansa. "We have also made ourselves available for a mission to protect shipping. This was greatly appreciated by the American military."

Spain has denied the U.S. permission to use jointly operated military bases on its territory for attacks on Iran, prompting the relocation of multiple U.S. aircraft. The U.S. military presence in Spain centres on two joint-use facilities in Andalusia: the Rota naval station and the Morón airbase. Both are under Spanish sovereignty and commanded by Spanish officers but receive U.S. funding. According to U.S. defense figures, just over 3,800 active-duty U.S. military personnel were stationed in Spain at the end of 2025.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has spoken out against the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran from the start. "The Spanish government's position is clear: absolute cooperation with allies, but always within the framework of international law," Sánchez said. He added that his country would not be "complicit in something that is bad for the world and that is also contrary to our values and interests." Sánchez played down reports that the Pentagon was considering punishing NATO allies by suspending them from the alliance for refusing basing, overflight, and access rights for strikes on Iran.