The U.S. Trump administration is considering measures to punish NATO allies it views as insufficiently supportive of U.S. action during the Iran war, including potentially redeploying U.S. troops from those countries to more supportive partners, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 8, citing U.S. officials. The proposal could also reportedly include closing at least one U.S. military base in Europe, with Spain or Germany mentioned as possible cases.

The plan, which remains at an early stage, reflects mounting tensions with NATO allies since the start of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, adding to already strained transatlantic relations. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized allies for refusing to support U.S. operations, arguing their stance calls into question the alliance's reliability. On April 1, the administration issued its most explicit threat yet of a potential U.S. withdrawal from NATO, driven by frustration with Europe's position, which followed earlier warnings about disengaging from NATO or disregarding Article 5 commitments. The issue was raised during an April 8 meeting in Washington with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which failed to ease tensions. Roughly 84,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe.