Trump Threatens to Withdraw US Troops from Italy and Spain Over European Criticism of Iran War Strategy

President Trump on May 1, 2026 said he was 'probably' open to pulling US troops from Italy and Spain, escalating a dispute with European allies who have criticized his handling of the Iran war. 'Look, why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,' Trump told reporters. The threat followed a Truth Social post on April 30 targeting Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being 'humiliated' by Iran and lacked a credible military strategy. The administration had also expressed frustration with European leaders who attended a G7 emergency meeting in Rome and issued a joint communiqué calling for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran conflict — language Trump viewed as undermining his leverage. Current US troop levels: ~36,436 in Germany, ~12,600 in Italy, and ~3,800 in Spain. A key constraint: the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act bars permanently reducing US troops in Europe below 75,000, a provision inserted by Senate Republicans specifically to deter unilateral troop withdrawals. Defense analysts noted any meaningful reduction would take months to execute logistically. Al Jazeera analysis described the threat as 'legally and operationally difficult' given basing agreement obligations. The troop withdrawal threats came as the War Powers Resolution 60-day deadline expired the same day, raising concerns about NATO cohesion at a moment of maximum US military engagement.