&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Don’t understand’: Italy’s defence minister responds as Trump threatens to pull US troops from Europe")
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto dismissed claims that Italy has failed to support the United States, particularly regarding maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw troops from the nation, accusing European nations of not sending their navies to help open the strategic waterway.
“I don’t understand the reasons,” Crosetto told the ANSA news agency. He also said that Trump’s claims were not true, saying that “we also made ourselves available for a mission to protect shipping.”
“This was greatly appreciated by the American military,” he added.
Crosetto continued, “The incredible thing is, they’ve used the Strait of Hormuz, while we haven’t.”
Italy hosts seven US military bases with about 13,000 troops, which also provide key capabilities such as air defence systems, assets that could take Italy years, even up to a decade, to replace independently.
This comes as Trump continues to criticise NATO allies for not helping the US in opening the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.
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Earlier on Thursday (Apr 30), while talking to the reporters, Trump was asked whether he would consider pulling US troops out of Italy and Spain. In response, the US president said, Probably … look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.” He further added that the US has been helping them with Ukraine, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is primarily a NATO concern.
US-Italy tensions
The relations between Rome and Washington came under strain after Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed Trump’s attack on Pope Leo, who had condemned the war on Iran. Trump responded by accusing Meloni of lacking courage for refusing to join the conflict. In a follow-up post on his Truth Social account, he shared a The Guardian report on the Sigonella dispute, writing: “Italy wasn’t there for us, we won’t be there for them!
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
