White House may punish 'unhelpful' NATO allies over Iran war

U.S. President Donald Trump and his team are considering a plan to punish some NATO allies Trump believes were unhelpful during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.

Under the reported plan, which is said to have been circulated and gained support among senior officials in the Trump administration in recent weeks, the Pentagon would move U.S. troops out of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries deemed unhelpful to U.S. war efforts and station them in countries considered more supportive.

The plan could also involve closing a U.S. base in at least one of the European countries, possibly Spain or Germany, according to the report, citing two Trump administration officials.

Countries that could benefit because they are viewed as supportive include Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece, the officials were quoted as saying.

Spain blocked U.S. planes involved in the U.S. military operation against Iran from using its airspace. Italy briefly blocked the U.S. use of an air base in Sicily, and the French government agreed to only allow the United States to use a base in southern France after it guaranteed that planes not involved in Iran strikes would land there, according to the WSJ report.

The White House is also reported to be frustrated with Germany after top officials in the country criticized Trump's decision to attack Iran.

"It's quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the last six weeks when it's the American people who have been funding their defense," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

She said Trump plans to have a very "frank and candid conversation" with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

The rift in the transatlantic alliance has widened during Trump's second term, fueled by his decision to launch the war on Iran on February 28 and earlier tensions over his push to take over Denmark's Greenland.

Trump has recently threatened to fully withdraw the United States from NATO, although under law he cannot do so without congressional approval.