US President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain of failing to provide adequate support to Washington during the recent war with Iran, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to ease tensions by defending European allies and highlighting increased defence spending.

Speaking after a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump reiterated his criticism of NATO members’ contributions, arguing their support had been “disappointing” in the conflict that followed Iran’s direct strikes on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory campaign. Rutte, who met Trump ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Ankara, countered by presenting data showing European allies had closed the defence-spending gap with the United States. “Europe is stepping up,” Rutte told reporters, though he did not provide specific figures.

The exchange came as Iran’s foreign ministry accused Italy and Romania of complicity in what it called the “illegal war of aggression” launched by the United States and Israel. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai told AFP that NATO’s involvement amounted to “complicity in atrocities,” and demanded accountability from alliance members. Similar condemnations were echoed in Portuguese and Irish media, with the *Irish Sun* reporting Iran’s call for international legal action against NATO.

Rutte’s visit to Washington has drawn criticism on social media, with some commentators accusing him of excessive deference to Trump. The *Daily Mail* described his performance in the Oval Office as “excessive bootlickin’,” while Slovenian public broadcaster RTVSLO reported that Rutte had attempted to “soften tensions” by flattering the US president. The NATO chief’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Established facts show Rutte presented updated defence-spending data to Trump on Wednesday, demonstrating that European NATO members had met the alliance’s 2% GDP target. Trump, however, reiterated his long-standing complaint that allies had not contributed sufficiently to the Iran conflict, which erupted after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israeli military sites in April 2026 and Israel responded with a sustained air campaign. The war ended with a ceasefire in late May, but diplomatic fallout continues to strain transatlantic relations.

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Irão acusa NATO de "cumplicidade" com os EUA na guerra

mastodon bot · about 3 hours ago

Rutte z laskanjem Trumpu skušal omiliti napetosti med ZDA in evropskimi zavezniki Generalni sekretar zveze Nato Mark Rutte je med obiskom v Beli hiši skušal omiliti napetosti med Washingtonom in evropskimi zavezniki po nedavni vojni z Iranom, kar je skušal doseči tudi z laskanjem predsedniku Donaldu Trumpu.

rtv slovenia · about 3 hours ago

Nato-Streit: Rutte nimmt Deutschland gegenüber Trump in Schutz Bei einem Treffen mit Nato-Generalsekretär Rutte hat US-Präsident Trump den europäischen Bündnispartnern erneut mangelnde Unterstützung im Irankrieg und eine unzureichende Finanzierung vorgeworfen. Rutte bemühte sich, die Spannungen zu glätten.

handelsblatt · about 3 hours ago

Trump suggests F-35 deal to make Türkiye very happy US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will likely take steps to satisfy Ankaras request for F-35 fighter jets and jet engines, adding that he plans to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Türkiye out of respect for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

yenisafak · about 3 hours ago

Trump criticizes NATO allies over disappointing Iran war support US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment Wednesday with several key NATO members including Italy, the UK, Germany and France over their insufficient support during the war with Iran, while Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the US leaders commitment to the alliance.

yenisafak · about 3 hours ago

Reacția furioasă a Iranulului după ce șeful NATO a spus că Italia şi România au ajutat SUA să atace Iranul: „O mărturisire zdrobitoare Purtătorul de cuvânt al Ministerului iranian de Externe, Esmail Baghai, a acuzat joi NATO de „complicitate la „războiul de agresiune ilegal declanşat împotriva Iranului de către Statele Unite şi Israel. El a făcut referire la declarațiile secretarului general NATO, Mark Rutte, care a vorbit despre ajutorul dat de Italia și România Satelor Unite în războiul declanșat împotriva Iranului.

digi24 · about 3 hours ago

Irão acusa NATO de "cumplicidade" com os EUA na guerra Irão condenou países da NATO por serem "cúmplices deste ato flagrante de agressão (...) de atrocidades"

observador · about 3 hours ago

Iranul condamnă România pentru „complicitate la „războiul ilegal al SUA. Reacția, după declarațiile lui Rutte privind sprijinul acordat de București „Secretarul general al NATO a indicat în mod explicit Italia și România ca fiind țări care au participat la agresiunea împotriva Iranului, a subliniat purtătorul de cuvânt al ministerului iranian, citat de AFP. Purtătorul de cuvânt al ministerului iranian de externe, Esmail Baghai, a acuzat joi NATO de „complicitate la „războiul de agresiune ilegal declanșat …

hotnews.ro · about 3 hours ago

Complici dellaggressione Usa: lIran accusa lItalia e la Romania dopo le parole di Rutte sui jet partiti dallEuropa verso Teheran Larticolo Complici dellaggressione Usa: lIran accusa lItalia e la Romania dopo le parole di Rutte sui jet partiti dallEuropa verso Teheran proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

il fatto quotidiano · about 3 hours ago

NATO Chief Mark Rutte slammed for excessive bootlickin over Daddy Trumps handling of Iran war NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is facing a ferocious storm of social media backlash following a deeply deferential Oval Office sit-down with President Donald Trump.

dailymail · about 3 hours ago

Iran Calls NATO Complicit In US War, Demands Accountability

gdeltproject.org · about 3 hours ago

Trump criticizes Spain and other NATO allies for lack of cooperation in Iran war NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte met with the US president in the Oval Office to make the case that Europe is increasing its defense spending

elpais · about 3 hours ago