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President Trump has threatened to pull U.S troops our of Spain and Italy after hitting out at NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

On ​Thursday he said "probably" when asked whether he would consider pulling U.S. troops out of Italy and Spain, a day after announcing that Washington was looking at reducing the ⁠number of military personnel in Germany.

He has also said that he is considering withdrawing the United States from NATO.

An internal Pentagon email, ⁠reported last week, outlined options for the United States ​to ⁠punish NATO allies it believes ‌failed to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance.

Trump, who discussed the possibility ‌of removing some U.S. troops from Europe ‌earlier this month, on Wednesday said his administration was looking at cuts to U.S. forces in Germany and a decision would be made soon. He has lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his criticism of the Iran war, calling him "totally ineffective," and threatened to cut the 36,400 U.S. troops based in Germany.

Asked on Thursday ⁠if he would also consider pulling U.S. troops out of Italy and Spain, two countries that have also been critical of the Iran war, Trump said, "Probably ... Look, why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible."

Trump last month threatened to impose a ‌full U.S. trade embargo on Spain after the European ally ​refused to let the U.S. military use its bases ‌for missions linked to ⁠strikes on Iran.

The U.S. had just over 68,000 active-duty ⁠military personnel assigned permanently in its overseas bases in Europe as of December 2025, ‌data from the ​U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center shows. ‌More than half - about 36,400 - ​are based in Germany.

open image in gallery Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (PA) ( PA Wire )

The news is the latest in a bumpy relationship between America and Europe.

Trump has previously taken aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in strikingly personal terms, saying that he is "not Winston Churchill," and threatening to impose a "big tariff" on imports from the ⁠UK. More worrying for Europe, Trump's Defense Department has floated punishing NATO allies that it believes are not supporting U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain as a member and reviewing U.S. recognition of the Falkland Islands as a UK possession.

"It's unnerving to say the least," one European diplomat told Reuters this week. "We are braced for anything, anytime."

A second European diplomat said former ⁠German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had a rocky relationship with Trump during his first term, had modeled ​the ⁠right approach.

“We’ve all learned a bit how to handle Trump by now. You must not react immediately, you must let the storm pass, while standing firmly on your positions," the diplomat said.

Even those who attempted flattery have faced Trump's ire, the diplomat said. "All those who tried that got their volley of insults, ⁠like the others. So everybody realizes now that flattery doesn’t work either," the diplomat said.