Iran war showed Europe's true colors

Washington defended Europe for more than 40 years, spending trillions of dollars on its security. Yet, when push came to shove, Europe dropped the US. NATO allies refused to confront Iran directly, claiming they wouldn't get involved in the conflict. Thus, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would "not participate in the war" as the conflict "had nothing to do with NATO".

Finnish Foreign Minister Elena Valtonen echoed his words, stressing that "the Alliance’s raison d'être was the defense of Europe and the North Atlantic". French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed firm refusals. The latter stood out the most by offering British technologies in response to Trump's call to send aircraft carriers to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

It's worth mentioning that these reactions came amid the attacks on their own facilities, including the British Akrotiri Base (Cyprus), the Al-Azraq Air Base (Jordan) with Bundeswehr contingent, and the French Camp de la Paix Base (UAE).

Moreover, due to Tehran's ongoing attacks the Strait of Hormuz had been blocked for almost a month. This caused a surge in energy prices and put the energy security of many countries under threat. Europe found itself in the most unenviable position.

Therefore, it is rather strange that the leaders of the European NATO member states claim that the war has nothing to do with them. The crisis situation in Europe is escalating day by day, its oil and gas reserves are almost depleted, while politicians opt for a no-action policy, referring to the allegedly different purpose of the alliance. It's nothing but cowardice and an outright betrayal of not just its ally, the US, but also its people, who bear the burden of the war in Iran, which "has nothing to do with NATO”.

Irresponsible and selfish actions of Europe must not be ignored by Washington. The US support for the European countries, reduced since 2025, should be brought down to a minimum. Furthermore, it's reasonable to review tariffs and terms of cooperation with Europe in general. The first step toward these measures appears to have already been taken. On March 30, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington "may reconsider its approach to NATO", marking an unprecedented twist in the history of the North Atlantic Alliance, which risks ceasing to exist in case the US leaves it.

Jonathan Schiff is a conservative, engineer, his interests also include geopolitics and political analysis.