Trump presses NATO partners on support as Hegseth blasts hesitation

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that immoderate accepted U.S. allies are "hemming and hawing astir the usage of force" arsenic Washington presses guardant with its run against Iran, raising caller questions astir NATO cohesion astatine a infinitesimal of escalation.

Spain has refused U.S. support to usage definite bases for strikes connected Iran, calling for de-escalation and adherence to planetary law. Turkey has criticized the cognition and warned of broader determination destabilization, portion President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said helium was "saddened" by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s decease and denied that Turkish territory was utilized successful the campaign. 

In a connection released connected Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that, "The outbreak of warfare betwixt the United States, Israel and Iran carries sedate consequences for planetary bid and security." He added, "The ongoing escalation is unsafe for all. It indispensable stop."

During Monday's media briefing, Hegseth drew a crisp opposition betwixt Israel and what helium described arsenic hesitant allies. "Israel has wide missions arsenic well, for which we are grateful. Capable partners, arsenic we've said since the beginning. Capable partners are bully partners, dissimilar truthful galore of our accepted allies, who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing astir the usage of force."

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth look connected arsenic Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine (out of frame) speaks to the property pursuing US subject actions successful Venezuela, astatine Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence successful Palm Beach, Florida, connected January 3, 2026.  (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

The disapproval reflects increasing vexation wrong the medication that portion immoderate European capitals person issued statements of support, operational backing has not matched the rhetoric.

President Donald Trump besides voiced dissatisfaction with allied hesitation. In an interrogation with The Daily Telegraph, Trump said helium was "very disappointed" successful British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking U.S. usage of British bases and that Starmer took "far excessively overmuch time" to reverse course.

The United Kingdom aboriginal authorized U.S. usage of cardinal facilities, including Diego Garcia, aft raising archetypal ineligible objections and pursuing a drone onslaught connected RAF Akrotiri successful Cyprus.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer airs with NATO state leaders for a household photograph during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Heads of State and Government acme successful The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025.  (Ben Stansall/Pool via Reuters)

Justin Fulcher, erstwhile elder advisor to Hegseth, told Fox News Digital the infinitesimal represents "an perfectly captious inflection constituent wherever NATO should enactment successful a unified mode successful enactment of what the United States is doing."

He framed the contented arsenic larger than the existent campaign. "Symbolically, the U.S.-NATO confederation is captious erstwhile looking astatine really restoring deterrence globally," Fulcher said, arguing that disposable unity would nonstop a connection not lone to Tehran but to different geopolitical rivals watching however the confederation responds nether pressure.

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President Donald Trump, right, speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a radical photograph of NATO heads of authorities and authorities astatine the NATO acme successful The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.  (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has sought to downplay suggestions of division.

"I spoke with each the cardinal European leaders implicit the weekend," Rutte said connected Fox News. "There is wide enactment for what the president is doing."

He added, "Europe is stepping up, is doing what is indispensable to marque definite this cognition tin spell up and present each the enablement necessary."

Germany has struck a much cautious tone. Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned successful Sunday that strikes hazard an Iraq- oregon Afghanistan-style quagmire and that Europe would carnivore the consequences.

At the aforesaid time, helium said Berlin would not "lecture" the U.S. "We admit the dilemma," helium said, explaining that repeated attempts implicit past decades had not enactment Iran disconnected trying to get atomic weapons oregon oppressing its ain people. "So we're not going to beryllium lecturing our partners connected their subject strikes against Iran."

"Despite each the doubts, we stock galore of their aims," helium said.

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Smoke rises successful Tehran pursuing an detonation connected March 2, 2026, amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli subject strikes. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Fulcher contrasted the existent hesitation with the beardown reactions from immoderate NATO capitals during past confederation disputes, including tensions surrounding Greenland.

"When you look astatine Greenland, that was evidently a precise touchy taxable for immoderate countries successful the Alliance," Fulcher said. "Iran for decades has been a immense promoter and funder of coercion each crossed the globe — attacks that person happened successful Europe, successful galore NATO and European countries," helium said. "For me, it is rather shocking that we’re seeing a hard clip for galore NATO members to afloat unify and measurement up successful enactment of the United States and what the U.S. and Israel is doing successful Iran."

He argued that Europe has a important strategical inducement to spot Iranian capabilities degraded.

"I deliberation really Europe and NATO person the astir to summation from neutralizing the menace that emanates from Iran," Fulcher said. "When you look astatine whether the ballistic rocket menace oregon immoderate of the state-sponsored coercion threats, Europe has been connected the receiving extremity of overmuch much of these threats than the United States has successful immoderate cases."

He stressed that enactment should widen beyond nationalist endorsements.

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NATO leaders airs successful this changeable taken successful June. Military leaders are gathering successful Washington Tuesday evening to sermon securities options for Ukraine. (REUTERS/Claudia Greco)

"Some of our European allies tin bash a batch much to not conscionable enactment with words, which should beryllium the bare minimum here, but besides enactment with existent tangible action," Fulcher concluded.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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