20/10/2026
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20/10/2026
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WASHINGTON, Oct 20: US President Donald Trump has threatened to reconsider America's support for Europe, accusing European countries of failing to assist Washington during the war against Iran, while declaring that the United States could end its military campaign because Tehran would not obtain a nuclear weapon.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump criticised European leaders and warned that Washington could withdraw its support if the continent failed to change course.
“We stand with Europe, despite its flaws, its weaknesses and, hopefully, its temporary loss of direction. But if they don’t soon find their way, we will have no choice but to leave,” Trump wrote.
He said he would not forget Europe's response when Washington sought assistance over Iran, although he claimed the United States did not actually need the help.
“When we asked for help in Iran (Help which we didn’t need, but was done more in the form of a test), they weren’t there to help, something which I can never forget,” he added.
Trump also attacked European immigration policies and political leaders, particularly in France, urging European countries to close their borders and expel people he accused of being hostile to their countries.
His remarks add to tensions between Washington and its European allies over the Iran war and the extent to which European countries should support US military operations. His warning did not, by itself, constitute a formal announcement of a US withdrawal from Europe or NATO.
Trump says US could leave Iran now
Speaking at a campaign rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump said the United States could end its military involvement in Iran immediately, arguing that its principal objective of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon had been achieved.
“Somebody said you could leave right now. It’s true. We could leave right now. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump claimed Iran's military capabilities had been severely degraded, saying the country had no navy or air force left and that its radar systems and air defences had been destroyed.
He also claimed that 229 Iranian fighter jets were “scattered all over the runways.”
However, these battlefield assessments were Trump's own claims and were not independently established by his remarks.
The president also questioned whom Washington could negotiate with, saying Iran's senior leadership had been largely eliminated.
“I don’t know who the hell to negotiate with,” he said. “Their first level of leaders gone. Their second level of leaders gone. Their third level of leaders half gone.”
Trump said Iran's remaining leaders had asked him to guarantee that they would not be killed, referring to the US military campaign against the country's leadership.
He also recalled the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in January 2020, during Trump's first presidential term.
“Soleimani was killed. You know Soleimani, by me, in the first term? Soleimani was killed,” Trump said.
Trump alleges mass killing of protesters
Trump also accused Iranian authorities of killing at least 75,000 protesters over the past eight months, using the alleged crackdown to explain why demonstrations against the government had subsided.
“Then somebody said, I wonder why they don’t protest. Well, it’s a little hard when you got machine guns at the end of the street shooting you down,” he said.
The figure of 75,000 was cited by Trump and should not be treated as an independently verified death toll without corroborating evidence.
He also referred to the execution of Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi, describing him as a world champion and criticising the authorities' use of public hangings.
“The world champion wrestler was killed, a young guy,” Trump said. “They hang them by cranes. They hang them by cranes for all to see.”
Mohammadi was executed in March alongside Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi after Iranian authorities accused the three men of killing two police officers during nationwide protests. The executions drew international criticism and renewed concerns over the treatment of protesters facing capital punishment.
Trump had previously spoken publicly about Mohammadi's execution, referring to him as a “star wrestler.”
The president's latest remarks combine a claim that the United States has achieved its central military objective in Iran with a warning that Washington could end its involvement, even as uncertainty remains over negotiations, the country's future leadership and the wider regional consequences of the war.
