{"id":50663,"date":"2026-04-14T17:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50663"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:47:42","slug":"trump-accuses-ally-meloni-of-lacking-courage-for-not-joining-attacks-on-iran-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=50663","title":{"rendered":"Trump accuses ally Meloni of lacking courage for not joining attacks on Iran | Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Donald Trump lashed out at one of his closest allies on Tuesday, saying Italy\u2019s Giorgia Meloni<\/a> lacked courage in light of her failure to join the US in attacking Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,\u201d the US president said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.<\/p>\n

The attack came as Meloni said that her far-right government would suspend the automatic renewal of its defence cooperation agreement with Israel<\/a> \u201cin light of the current situation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiorgia Meloni doesn\u2019t want to help us in the war. I\u2019m shocked,\u201d Trump said. \u201cDo people like the fact that your president isn\u2019t doing anything to get the oil [in Iran]? Does she like it? I can\u2019t imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Pope Leo shared a private audience with Giorgia Meloni at the Vatican in July last year.<\/span> Photograph: Francesco Sforza\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tensions between Italy and the US have intensified in recent days after criticism from Trump directed at Pope Leo<\/a>, marking a dramatic shift in relations between the US president and Meloni, whose political alliance and personal rapport had long been openly embraced \u2013 with the Italian leader having said earlier this year that she hoped he would one day receive the Nobel peace prize<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trump said he did not think the Chicago-born pontiff was \u201cdoing a very good job\u201d, while also suggesting he should \u201cstop catering to the radical left\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meloni criticised remarks by Trump targeting the pope, calling them <\/a>\u201cunacceptable\u201d. She added that she would not feel comfortable in a society where religious leaders were expected to follow the direction of political leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is the one who is unacceptable,\u201d Trump replied, \u201cbecause she doesn\u2019t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy<\/a> in two minutes if it had the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the diplomatic strain, Meloni described Washington as a \u201cpriority ally\u201d. But, she added, alliances require candour: \u201cWhen you are friends, particularly strategic allies, you must also have the courage to say when you disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Donald Trump\u2019s comments about the pope were not warmly received in Italy.<\/span> Photograph: Domenico Stinellis\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Italy\u2019s government has entered a turbulent phase in recent days after its defeat in a justice referendum backed by Rome<\/a>. According to several analysts, the outcome was less a rejection of the proposal itself than a broader vote of no confidence in Meloni\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

The Italian prime minister has faced mounting criticism, including from segments of her own electorate, over her alignment with Trump and her reluctance to openly condemn Israel\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

The backlash comes at a time of growing unease among the Italian public with the wider implications of the conflict, particularly fears of economic fallout. Concerns have intensified in recent weeks over disruptions to global energy supplies, with the effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz contributing to a sharp rise in diesel prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a repositioning,\u201d Lorenzo Castellani, a political historian at Rome\u2019s Luiss University, told Reuters. \u201cShe\u2019s afraid that a sizeable portion of the electorate, even among the centre-right, will become highly critical of Trump and Netanyahu and of the effects of this war on Iran on the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Trump appears to be losing the backing of European allies as the Iran war escalates, exposing fractures within Nato. He previously called the alliance a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d after members ignored calls for military support in the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The US president also threatened consequences for countries such as Spain, including troop withdrawals, and accused allies including the UK of not \u201cstepping up\u201d, saying they were \u201cabandoning\u201d the US. He added that those unwilling to support Washington should \u201cgo get your own oil\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Alongside rising tensions with Washington, relations between Italy and Israel also risk deteriorating after Rome\u2019s decision to suspend the memorandum on defence cooperation. In 2003, Italy and Israel began expanding defence ties through arms deals, technology sharing and joint industrial projects.<\/p>\n

The memorandum, which has governed defence cooperation between the two countries, was formally signed in April 2016 and provided a framework for military exchanges, technological collaboration and had previously been renewed automatically every five years.<\/p>\n

Meloni\u2019s decision marks the first time her government has intervened directly to halt the agreement, despite months of mounting criticism over Israel\u2019s conduct and alleged violations of international law. Until now, the Italian prime minister had limited her response to condemning specific incidents, including Israeli strikes affecting churches and Italian troops serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, while continuing to defend the broader framework of bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, was summoned by Israel\u2019s foreign ministry after Italy\u2019s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, during a visit to Beirut, condemned Israeli air raids that have caused thousands of casualties in Lebanon<\/a> since early March.<\/p>\n

Just days earlier, Tajani had himself summoned the Israeli ambassador after an incident in southern Lebanon in which Israeli forces fired warning shots near Italian UN peacekeepers, with one round landing metres from a soldier.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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