NATO Chief Says European Leaders Have Finally 'Gotten the Message' from Trump and Are Changing Their Ways
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Monday that European countries have “gotten the message” from President Donald Trump and are stepping up to assist the U.S. with the Iran conflict.
Certain European nations are honoring agreements with America regarding the use of military bases and are even willing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.
“Yes, there has been some disappointment from the U.S. side, but Europeans have listened,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters. “They are now making sure that all the bilateral basing agreements are being implemented.”
He added that “more and more” European countries are preparing minehunters and minesweepers for the “next phase,” to help clear out munitions that were left throughout the strait by Iran.
Spain, a NATO member, had previously declared its military bases wouldn’t be used for anything related to the Iran conflict.
Rutte, however, said other NATO countries are currently coordinating with U.S. officials about the use of their bases and other logistical matters.
Those countries include: Montenegro, Croatia, Romania, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Britain, France, and Germany.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital international waterway. Securing it has become a top priority for the Trump administration.
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, Iran’s efforts to disrupt shipping have led to massive hikes in oil and gas prices.
If the NATO nations follow through, it would signal a dramatic turnaround, especially considering that as recently as March, the European Union rejected calls from the commander in chief to help secure the strait.
That same month, Trump called out Spain and the United Kingdom for not paying their fair share into NATO and for resisting his administration’s requests.
“Some of the European nations have been helpful and some haven’t,” Trump told reporters. “And I’m very surprised … Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott [Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain … Now Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases. And that’s all right. We can use their base if we want. We can just fly in and use it. Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it.”
.@POTUS: “Some of the European nations have been helpful, and some haven’t—and I’m very surprised. Germany’s been great… Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain.”
“By the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.” pic.twitter.com/Q9qtyDVDbx
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 3, 2026
About one month later, in early April, the president said he had withheld intelligence from Germany regarding an American strike against Iran because he didn’t trust the country’s leadership not to leak it.
The U.S. also announced Saturday that it will be withdrawing 5,000 troops stationed in Germany over the next six to 12 months, after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said America was being “humiliated” by Iranian leadership, according to the Associated Press.
The news about European nations getting more involved with the Iran conflict comes less than two weeks after reports surfaced about an official Pentagon email outlining U.S. plans to suspend Spain from NATO and revisit Britain’s claims over the Falkland Islands.
Despite this recent news about expanded NATO involvement, Trump has remained highly critical, skeptical, and disappointed in the alliance, with these sentiments dating back to his first term in office.
The president has even threatened to pull the United States out of NATO altogether, citing arrogance from the other countries, a lack of gratitude, and an unwillingness to pay their fair share when it comes to national defense.
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