Overview
- Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast that European leaders should avoid publicly denouncing President Trump’s Iran campaign to prevent a deeper rift.
- Volker urged a conciliatory approach, praising NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s tone and advising Germany’s Friedrich Merz to show respect to keep channels open with Washington.
- Several European governments have condemned the strikes on Iran, with countries including the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, and Germany limiting U.S. base access and refusing to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
- POLITICO reported the White House is weighing a “naughty and nice” ranking of allies, and Just The News noted Trump has even talked about leaving NATO as he pressures partners to back the campaign.
- The dispute follows late-February U.S. and Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliation that disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.