Trump says he was testing NATO allies; Italy among those who declined Iran operation

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had been testing NATO allies' commitment to a joint Iran operation, and that Italy, Germany and France had all refused to participate, according to Fox News. Trump made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a key NATO summit this week. The comment underscores continued friction between Washington and Rome over alliance burden-sharing and strategic priorities.

Trump's characterization of the operation as a test rather than a formal request reframes recent tensions between the US administration and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two leaders have traded public criticism in recent weeks, with Trump attacking Meloni on social media and Meloni's government pushing back, according to reports from The Local Italy. The NATO summit this week is expected to bring direct talks between the two, though Trump said on Tuesday that he now considers Meloni "a nice person actually."