On Thursday, US President Trump hinted that he may consider withdrawing some of the American troops stationed in Spain and Italy. The main reason behind this consideration is that these two countries have not provided support during the ongoing US-Iran war for the past two months.
Just the day before, Trump mentioned that he is contemplating reducing the troops stationed in Germany and stated that a final decision will be made soon.
When asked by reporters on Thursday about whether he is considering similar actions towards Spain and Italy due to their lukewarm response to the joint US-Israeli actions against Iran, Trump replied, “Why shouldn’t I?” He continued, “Italy has not offered any help, and Spain’s performance has been consistently poor, beyond disappointing.”
According to Pentagon data, as of December 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US military personnel stationed in Italy, while the total number of US troops stationed in Spain was 3,814.
Among the top five countries with the highest number of active-duty US troops stationed, Italy ranks fourth, following Japan, Germany, and South Korea.
Trump’s threat towards Germany originated from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement on April 27, accusing Iran of humiliating the United States. Merz told students, “The entire country is currently suffering from the humiliation of the Iranian leadership.”
During a speech to students in Marsberg, Germany, Merz expressed, “The Iranians seem to be very good at negotiations, or more precisely, very good at ‘non-negotiations,’ making the Americans make a futile trip to Islamabad, only to return empty-handed.”
Merz’s remarks were directed at Trump’s decision to send US officials to negotiate with Pakistan and Iran on April 27, following Trump’s temporary cancellation of the scheduled talks two days earlier.
On April 29, Trump announced on social media that he was “considering the possibility of reducing troops in Germany.” In response, Merz later stated that despite their differences on the Iran issue, he maintains a good relationship with Trump.
“As far as I am concerned, my personal relationship with the US President remains good,” Merz told reporters. “I simply had concerns from the outset about the situation arising from the Iran war. That’s why I made my position clear.”
In response, Trump suggested that Merz should focus more on the Ukraine-Russia conflict in Europe.
On Thursday, Trump posted on social media, “The German Chancellor should spend more time ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict (he’s been useless on this!) and fixing his mess of a country, especially on immigration and energy, rather than meddling in our efforts to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat and make the world (including Germany) safer!”
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