Trump increasingly isolated as allies push back on Iran war gambit

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Instead of pursuing goals that are in the collective interest, “he’s imposing the cost of what is in America’s and Israel’s interests on everybody else in the world — and without even consulting others,” she said.

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White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump is disappointed with European allies for barring U.S. forces from using their bases for the Iran campaign.

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“The President has effectively restored America’s standing on the world stage and strengthened relationships abroad — but he simultaneously will never allow the United States to be treated unfairly and taken advantage of by so-called ‘allies,’” Kelly said in an emailed statement.

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The speedy deterioration of Trump’s relationships has been remarkable, even for a president known for his volatile temperament and quick disposal of allies.

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Trump told Italian daily Corriere della Sera that he was “shocked” by Meloni and no longer saw her as “brave.” It’s a sharp reversal from his previous praise for the leader he once described as a “beautiful young woman” who had taken Europe “by storm.”

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Meloni and Trump’s close relationship appears to be wavering. Photo by Antonio Masiello /Photographer: Antonio Masiello/G

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There are signs Trump’s gambit is also causing anxiety for U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia is pressing the U.S. to abandon its blockade out of concern Iran could target a Red Sea strait critical for its own crude exports, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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To be sure, Gulf countries that have grown closer to the Trump administration say that the military relationship with the U.S. is likely to deepen after the war, according to officials in Europe and the region. But those countries that rely heavily on the U.S. for security will also need to ramp up their defence in the aftermath of the conflict.

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The latest developments have deepened already gaping divisions between the U.S. and its partners on trade and security that have built up since his return to office. He antagonized other nations by imposing widespread tariffs on goods from allies and adversaries alike, pulling out of international institutions and chiding leaders for treating the US unfairly.

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He also threatened to kneecap NATO, describing the 77-year-old institution as “obsolete,” and targeted the alliance with threats of military action to acquire Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory. Even Trump’s decision to launch strikes with Israel on Iran in February was done without recruiting European countries to join the mission.

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The Greenland episode pushed some European officials to be more forceful with Trump after first embracing a more cautious approach during the early months of his second term, according to a person familiar with their thinking.

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Demonstrators hold Greenlandic flags as they gather to march in protest against Trump and his announced intent to acquire Greenland, in January. Photo by Sean Gallup /Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty

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Trump is driving an “isolationist, interventionist approach,” that’s out of sync with the post-World War II global order, said former Republican Representative Carlos Curbelo. Countries that have chosen not to help the U.S. police Hormuz represent a casualty of that strategy, he said.

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“It does appear that we’re finally paying a price for all of that,” he said. “I think he’s isolated, and I think the country is isolated.”

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Some Asian allies have stayed quieter about the lack of consultation from Washington, but the situation has still proved challenging. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been unable to secure a call with Trump since the Iran ceasefire, but did speak by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on April 8.

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Trump’s actions have emboldened China, according to some analysts who say they have handed the country potent fodder to strengthen its own ties with Western nations, such as Canada and France. Beijing has warned the U.S. blockade threatens global trade and called for “calm and restraint.”

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“The Chinese believe that they are benefiting from being a beacon of stability in a very volatile world,” said Ryan Hass, a former National Security Council official now at the Brookings Institution. “They sort of feel that trends are working in their favour right now, so they don’t need to give much or do much to benefit from the windfall of President Trump’s actions on the world stage.”