Iran War Fractures 70-Year US-Europe Alliance as EU Pushes €90 Billion Strategic Autonomy
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · May 18
Iran War Fractures 70-Year US-Europe Alliance as EU Pushes €90 Billion Strategic Autonomy
8 articles · Updated · The Conversation · May 18
Spain barred U.S. forces from using Rota and Morón days after the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran, and Italy later refused refueling for U.S. bombers, turning allied dissent into operational limits.
Trump answered with a threatened full trade embargo on Spain and a plan to pull 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany after Washington launched the campaign with virtually no advance consultation with European partners.
That rupture goes beyond the 2003 Iraq split because the administration is depicted as treating allies less as coalition partners than as logistics hubs to be pressured or punished.
Europe is now moving long-debated autonomy plans into action, from the EU's €90 billion joint-debt loan to Ukraine to discussions on anti-coercion trade tools and a broader French nuclear deterrent role.
The report argues the result is not a repaired trans-Atlantic bargain but a looser relationship between two powers whose strategic interests increasingly diverge.
As the US-Europe alliance shatters, can a new French-led nuclear deterrent truly protect the continent from global threats?
The US-Iran war has choked 20% of the world's oil. What happens to the global economy now?
With the Western alliance in chaos, which global power stands to gain the most from this new world order?
After the 2026 Iran War: How the US-Europe Alliance Fractured and Europe Accelerated Toward Strategic Autonomy
Overview
The 2026 Iran War began with sudden U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, catching most European governments off guard and leaving them scrambling to respond. These military actions were launched without consulting America's European allies, resulting in a disjointed and weak European reaction. Spain stood out by denying U.S. military planes access to its air bases, openly opposing the war. As European leaders realized they had little influence over the unfolding conflict, the lack of coordination exposed deep fractures in the transatlantic alliance and set the stage for major diplomatic and economic challenges across Europe.