Trump Threatens to Withhold Defense of Italy Over Iran War Dispute and Pope Criticism

President Trump threatened on Truth Social that the United States would not come to Italy's defense, stating "Italy wasn't there for us, we won't be there for them!" The threat came amid escalating tensions between Washington and Rome over Italy's refusal to support the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's defense of Pope Leo XIV after Trump attacked the pontiff. Trump had previously criticized the Pope for his opposition to the Iran conflict, telling the Pope he "must understand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon" and warning that "every country, including Italy, where the Pope resides, would be in danger." The public dispute marked a dramatic deterioration in relations between the NATO allies, with Trump ramping up attacks on Meloni, a former ally, over her refusal to back his Iran policy. The threat to abandon NATO Article 5 mutual defense commitments represents an unprecedented undermining of the alliance's foundational principle.

"Italy wasn't there for us, we won't be there for them!" — Posted on Truth Social amid escalating dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over Italy's refusal to support U.S.-Israel military action against Iran and Meloni's defense of Pope Leo XIV