Trump threatens not to defend Italy amid rows over Pope and Iran war

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold U.S. military protection from Italy as tensions between Washington and Rome deepened over the Iran war and his public attacks on Pope Leo XIV.

“Italy wasn’t there for us, we won’t be there for them!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He said he was “shocked” that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “doesn’t want to help us in the war” against Iran, adding in remarks to Corriere della Sera: “She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance.”

The rift widened after Meloni called Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo “unacceptable” — a response to Trump’s fury over the pontiff’s opposition to the Iran war.

Meloni, once considered one of Trump’s closest European allies, has been joined in her pushback by opposition figures.

Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein said there was “firm condemnation for the attack by President Donald Trump on Meloni for having dutifully expressed solidarity with Pope Leo,” adding: “We are adversaries in this chamber, but all Italian citizens, and we will not accept attacks or threats against the government and our country.”

The Vatican’s physical presence in Rome and Catholicism’s deep roots in Italian society mean attacks on the pope carry particular weight in Italy, making Trump’s remarks feel to many Italians like an assault on the country itself.

Pope Leo has repeatedly criticized the Iran war and called for dialogue, while also speaking out against conditions in Gaza.