U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, on the one-year mark into his second term in office, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2026. REUTERS Nathan Howard
The Wall Street Journal reports the Trump administration is threatening payback to NATO members who refused to join in the president’s unannounced war with Iran — which drove up global fuel prices.
“The proposal would involve moving U.S. troops out of North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries deemed unhelpful to the Iran war effort and station them in countries that were more supportive of the U.S. military campaign,” said anonymous officials with knowledge. “The proposal would fall far short of President Trump’s recent threats to fully withdraw the U.S. from the alliance, which by law he can’t do without Congress.”
The plan has gained support among senior administration officials, the WSJ added.
“It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, adding that Trump plans to have a very “frank and candid conversation” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutt.
Rutt is the NATO representative who was among those who convinced Trump not to invade a NATO ally and hijack the island of Greenland.
Trump has already threatened to fully withdraw from NATO, which has been a thorn in the side of Trump’s international friend and Russian despot Vladimir Putin.
The Wall Street Journal said the White House has declined to confirm of deny the news, and it could not identify which nations would be first to lose a U.S. military presence.
“Spain — the only NATO country that has not pledged to spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense — blocked U.S. planes involved in the Iran operation from using its airspace,” reports WSJ. “Administration officials are also frustrated with Germany after top officials criticized Trump’s war, though Germany serves as one of the largest and most important hubs for the U.S. military to support its operations in the Middle East.”
Italy briefly blocked the U.S. from using territory in Sicily from which to base attacks on Iran, and France agreed to only allow the U.S. to use a base in its southern region after a guarantee that planes would not be involved in Iran strikes.
Nations that may be on Trump’s good side include Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece, many of whom the WSJ says submits the highest defense spending rates — possibly due to the enduring Russian menace. But WSJ adds that focusing U.S. troops in these nations will place them in Putin’s backyard and risk angering him.
