NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tensions between Donald Trump<\/a> and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday after the U.S. president publicly rebuked one of his closest European allies, accusing her of lacking “courage” and failing to support Washington\u2019s efforts against Iran.<\/p>\n In a phone interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera<\/a>, Trump called Meloni “unacceptable” and said he was “shocked” by her stance, according to the outlet\u2019s English-language version.<\/p>\n The dispute with Trump was further fueled by Meloni\u2019s criticism of his recent remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV<\/a>, which she called “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to respond that “she is the one who is unacceptable.”<\/p>\n In a scathing rebuke of the Vatican\u2019s call for Middle Eastern de-escalation, President Trump took to Truth Social<\/a> to blast Pope Leo XIV. Labeling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump warned him to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” The post, which quickly went viral, accused the first American pope of “catering to the Radical Left” at the expense of global security.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In the interview to Corriere della Sera<\/a> Trump also reiterated criticism of Pope Leo, saying the pontiff “has no idea what\u2019s going on in Iran” and “doesn\u2019t understand” what is at stake.<\/p>\n Tensions between President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday.<\/span> (Suzanne Plunkett\/Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n She “isn\u2019t giving us any help, I\u2019m shocked by her,” Trump said about Meloni in the six-minute conversation.<\/p>\n He went further, accusing Meloni of relying on Washington while refusing to act.<\/p>\n “They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,” he said, referring to global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The comments mark a sharp shift in tone toward Meloni<\/a>, who attended Trump\u2019s 2025 inauguration and was praised by him as “a great leader” just weeks ago.<\/p>\n The White House and Meloni\u2019s office did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n The public rift comes as Meloni has begun distancing herself from both Washington and Jerusalem amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the widening Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n RUBIO SAYS US MAY NEED TO ‘REEXAMINE’ NATO MEMBERSHIP AFTER ALLIES BLOCKED BASING, AIRSPACE HELP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n President Donald Trump delivers remarks, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer applaud, following the signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Egypt, Oct. 13, 2025.<\/span> (Evelyn Hockstein\/Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On Tuesday, Meloni confirmed in a statement that Italy had suspended the automatic renewal of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel, signaling a significant recalibration in ties.<\/p>\n “In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel<\/a>,” she said, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n The move follows recent tensions between Rome and Jerusalem, including Israeli warning shots fired near Italian troops serving in southern Lebanon<\/a> under a U.N. mandate, as well as growing Italian criticism of Israeli military operations in the region.<\/p>\n Israel downplayed the impact of the decision, saying the agreement was largely symbolic and “has never contained any substantive content,” Reuters reported.<\/p>\n In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government following Italy\u2019s move.<\/p>\n “Italy\u2019s decision to suspend the defense cooperation agreement with Israel is another embarrassing failure of the prime minister and the non-existent foreign minister,” Lapid wrote on X.<\/p>\n TRUMP SAYS HE’S CONSIDERING PULLING US OUT OF NATO OVER IRAN WAR STANCE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is greeted upon arrival at the White House South Portico in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2025.<\/span> (Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Meloni is not a left-wing progressive European leader,” she added. “She belongs to the conservative right and understands the need to fight terrorism.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Meloni\u2019s shift reflects what analysts describe as a broader political repositioning<\/a>, as the war\u2019s economic fallout, particularly rising energy costs, weighs heavily on Italy\u2019s import-dependent economy and public opinion.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended Meloni, reaffirming Italy\u2019s alliance with the United States<\/a> while emphasizing that cooperation must be grounded in “loyalty, respect and mutual frankness.”<\/p>\n The escalating tensions highlight growing fractures within Western alliances as the U.S.-led confrontation with Iran<\/a> reverberates across Europe, forcing leaders like Meloni to balance strategic partnerships with domestic political realities.<\/p>\n![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1200\/675\/trump-meloni-stramer.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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