Trump threatens to pull some US troops from Germany, Italy and Spain amid spat over Iran war

By Sophie Tanno, Sebastian Shukla, CNN

(CNN) — A spat between the US and Germany has reached new heights, with US President Donald Trump threatening to pull some American troops from the country amid disagreements about the US-led campaign in Iran.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Wednesday night.

On Thursday, he expanded his threat to Italy and Spain. “I mean, they haven’t been exactly on board,” Trump answered, when asked about the possibility of cuts to troop levels in the two countries. “Yeah, probably will,” Trump added, “Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help. Spain has been horrible. Absolutely.”

It comes as Europe and Washington have been at odds over the US’ approach to the war with Iran. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz drew Trump’s wrath this week for comments he made on Monday, in which he said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticized the administration for not having an effective strategy to end the war.

There are 36,436 active-duty US military personnel permanently stationed in Germany, according to data from the US Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) released in December 2025 – a number markedly higher than in other European countries. Trump previously threatened to reduce troop numbers in the country in 2020, during his first tenure in office and while Angela Merkel held the German chancellorship.

As of December, there were more than 12,600 active-duty US military personnel stationed in Italy and more than 3,800 in Spain.

Friction over Iran war

Friction between European leaders and the Trump administration has intensified due to the US-Israeli war, which the US launched without notifying most NATO allies. Germany was informed in advance of the initial strikes, a government spokesperson told the Associated Press. European countries have refused to become directly involved in the conflict, instead emphasizing the importance of finding a diplomatic solution. Trump in return has threatened to reconsider the US’ NATO membership and has referred to the military alliance as a “paper tiger.”

Like some other European countries, Germany has offered limited military support to the US, most notably allowing the use of its military infrastructure, such as air bases, for operations related to the conflict — though it has not permitted these to be used as staging grounds for direct offensive strikes.

Merz has also pledged further German assistance under the condition the conflict moves to a post-war phase. This could include participation in a possible international stabilization mission.

To that effect, Berlin recently announced a naval minesweeper will be deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in preparation for efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, once a lasting end to hostilities is reached. This move followed calls from Trump for allies to send warships and minesweepers to help secure the strait. Germany is part of a coalition led by Britain and France seeking to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the crucial waterway. These actions have however failed to satisfy Trump.

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Italian news agency ANSA on Thursday that he didn’t “understand the reasons” for Trump’s most recent comments. “As it’s clear to anyone, we haven’t used the Strait of Hormuz. And we’ve even offered to carry out a mission to protect shipping – a gesture that was actually greatly appreciated by the US military,” he said.

Meanwhile, Merz’s attitude towards the war has shifted. In the hours following the beginning of the campaign, he insisted “this is not the moment to lecture allies.” His tone altered following a March visit to the US, when he said he could not “see any clear strategy.”

The disagreement between Berlin and Washington deepened further on Monday, when Merz starkly criticized US attempts to extricate itself from a war it entered without laying out clear objectives.

“The whole affair is ill-considered to say the least,” he said, while emphasizing Berlin’s desire for the war to end as soon as possible. “At the moment, I cannot see what strategic exit the Americans are now opting for.”

On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at Merz directly in a Truth Social post, writing, “the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

He continued, “No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!”

Merz, as with other European allies, has previously acknowledged the threat posed by Tehran and has maintained Iran must not possess nuclear weapons.

The German chancellor has subsequently sought to play down the feud with his US counterpart and strike a more conciliatory tone, insisting Wednesday that his relationship with Trump is “good.”

“From my perspective, my personal relationship with the US president remains good,” Merz told reporters, while highlighting the negative impact the war is having on Germany’s economy and energy supplies.

On Thursday, in the wake of Trump’s announcement of potentially pulling some troops from Germany, Merz again reiterated how important the transatlantic alliance is to Berlin.

“As you know, this transatlantic partnership is particularly close to our hearts – and to mine personally,” he told reporters at a military base in Munster.

Since Trump’s return to office, German officials had largely managed to stay out of his firing line and avoided the blistering criticisms directed at many other traditional allies. Amid the recent fallout, this appears to have changed dramatically.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Lizzie McBride and Issy Ronald contributed to this report.