Trump’s Not Wrong on the Euros |
President Trump said it out loud this week—and whether Europe likes it or not, he’s not wrong.
After weeks of war, failed negotiations, and finally a decisive U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, Trump turned his frustration toward allies like Italy and the United Kingdom, who have, at best, responded with hesitation—and at worst, quiet indifference. Or as Trump essentially put it: you want the benefits, but you don’t want the burden.
And that’s the problem.
What is unfolding in the Middle East right now is not just another regional flare-up. It is one of the most significant geopolitical realignments of the modern era. The Iranian regime’s ability to project power, threaten global shipping, and pursue nuclear ambitions is being directly challenged in a way that hasn’t been seen in decades.
And who benefits the most from that? Europe.
Not the United States. Europe.
Let’s start with the obvious.
Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz. When Iran chokes that lane—as it has attempted to do repeatedly in recent weeks—it’s not American commuters who feel it first. It’s Europe.
Italy. Germany. The UK. Spain. Energy-dependent economies that rely heavily on imported oil and gas—much of it tied directly or indirectly to Middle Eastern stability.
And yet, when the United States steps in—first militarily, then diplomatically, and now economically through a full-scale blockade—to neutralize that threat, what does Europe do? It shrugs.
Or worse. Take Italy.
Prime........