Trump to allies: "You haven’t helped us, possible withdrawal of troops from Italy, Spain and Germany"

The news of Friday 1 May on the attack by the United States and Israel on Iran:

• Possible military disengagement: Trump has officially opened up to the possibility of withdrawing American troops from Italy and Spaindefining the withdrawal of the contingent as “probable”.
• Reason for withdrawal: The choice is dictated by lack of cooperation of European allies in recent military operations conducted in the Middle East.
• Criticisms of NATO: Trump complains about the slowness of the support allies and underlines the geographical distance of the USA from the theaters of crisis, defining Ukraine as a problem that concerns Europe since it is “on their doorstep”.
• Clash with Germany: Trump criticized the Chancellor Friedrich Merz for the internal management of the country (immigration and energy) and for the strategic differences on the Iranian nuclear issue.
• Berlin’s response: The German government dismissed Trump’s words as one “policy of gross threats” now ineffective, arguing that a withdrawal would damage the United States itself

Araghchi accuses USA of lying about the cost of the war

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Pentagon was lying about the economic cost of the war, launched by the Trump administration on February 28 together with Israel. “Netanyahu’s gamble has so far directly cost America 100 billion dollars, four times the declared figure,” Araghchi wrote on X referring to data released by the US Ministry of Defense. “The indirect costs to US taxpayers are much higher. The monthly bill for each American family is $500 and growing rapidly. Israel first always means America last,” he added.

Araghchi-Kallas phone call regarding the regional situation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a telephone conversation with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas. As reported by Tehran, the two “addressed the regional situation and international issues”

Media, pressing government to dismiss minister Araghchi

Senior Iranian officials are reportedly trying to dismiss Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, believing him to be excessively aligned with the position of the head of the Revolutionary Guards in negotiations with the United States. This was reported by the newspaper linked to the Iranian diaspora abroad, Iran International.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly accuse the diplomatic chief of having sidelined them and of acting not as a minister representing the government, but as assistant to Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi. Citing two sources familiar with the facts, the newspaper states that Pezeshkian has communicated to his collaborators that he will fire Araghchi if the situation persists.
The indiscretion comes against the backdrop of rumors of strong disagreements among top Iranian officials over the positions taken in talks with the United States to end the war and make the current ceasefire permanent. Friction would arise over whether or not to include Iran’s nuclear program in the war negotiations.

Media, Trump informed about US plans for new attacks

The head of Centcom (Central Command of the US Army), Brad Cooper, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, briefed President Donald Trump overnight on plans for possible attacks against Iran. Axios reports this, quoting two officials according to whom yesterday’s briefing lasted 45 minutes.
The briefing indicates that Trump is seriously considering the possibility of resuming major combat operations, both to try to break the deadlock in negotiations and to deliver the final blow before ending the war. According to Axios, Centcom has laid out a plan for a series of “short and powerful” strikes against Iran, likely to include infrastructure targets, in hopes of breaking the deadlock in the negotiations.

Guterres, Hormuz closure strangles world economy

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was “strangling the global economy”. “The consequences of the crisis in the Middle East worsen dramatically with each passing hour,” Guterres wrote on “Now is the time for dialogue, for solutions that bring us back from the abyss and for measures that can open a path towards peace”, added Guterres.

Trump opens to the withdrawal of troops from Italy and Spain

The President of the United States, Donald Trumphas officially hypothesized a American military disengagement from Italy and Spain. During a briefing at the White House, the Commander-in-Chief defined the withdrawal of the contingent as “probable”, justifying the position with the poor cooperation of European allies in recent operations in the Middle East.

The direct attack: “Italy and Spain didn’t help”

When asked specifically about the possible withdrawal, Trump was categorical: “Why shouldn’t I do it? Italy was of no help to us and Spain was horrible, absolutely horrible.”

Criticism of NATO and the Ukraine dossier

The presidency’s discontent focuses on the management of Iranian crisis and on the effectiveness of NATO. Trump complained about the slowness of allied support, underlining the geographical distance between the USA and the European crisis theaters: “Help always arrives too late. If they clearly said ‘Okay, we will help you’, it would be different.” The President remarked that the United States is supporting Ukraine despite the fact that it is “on Europe’s doorstep” and separated from America by an entire ocean. “They created a total disaster with Ukraine and we are helping them,” he insisted.

The dismay of the Pentagon and the international reactions

The President’s statements caught the defense leaders by surprise. According to military sources, Pentagon officials are trying to decipher the true significance of the announcement.

Although the Pentagon had not foreseen any troop reduction, congressional officials do not underestimate the threat, recalling that Trump had already attempted to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany in 2020. The Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnellmaintained an institutional position, declaring that the department “plans for every scenario” and is ready to carry out the orders of the Commander in Chief.

The clash with Berlin and Chancellor Merz

Harsh words were reserved for Germany and the Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to Trump, Berlin is managing internal crises in a “terrible” way, from migratory flows to energy problems. The President also reported a fragment of a conversation he had with Merz on Iranian nuclear power: “He criticized me for my strategy with Iran. I asked him if he would prefer to see an Iran with nuclear weapons; when he said no, I told him that then I was right. He didn’t know what to say.”

Germany’s reply

Berlin’s response was not long in coming. A German executive official dismissed Trump’s rhetoric as one “policy of gross threats” which would have now reached its limit of effectiveness. According to the German government, a possible withdrawal would end up weakening the United States itself, hoping that a more responsible approach towards historical allies will once again prevail in Washington.