Trump declares Iran deal void – NATO summit responds

The turnaround comes immediately after a new escalation spiral between Washington and Tehran. Overnight into Wednesday, the US military flew attacks on numerous targets in Iran – according to US Central Command Centcom, more than 80 targets were hit. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards declared on state television that they had in turn attacked „85 wichtige US-Armeeanlagen" in Kuwait and Bahrain with missiles and drones. The US had also revoked an exemption that had allowed Iran to sell oil, and said it was responding to Iranian attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump justified abandoning the agreement with the claim that Iran had violated the agreement „jeden Tag": „Sie verletzen das Abkommen jeden Tag". He described the Iranian leadership in sharp terms: „Es ist reine Zeitverschwendung, sich mit ihnen abzugeben. Das sind kranke Leute". He also said: „Das sind fiese Typen, deshalb haben sie es auf jeden abgesehen, wahrscheinlich auch auf mich." At one point he called the Iranian leadership „Abschaum": „Und sie sind ein Haufen Abschaum, um ehrlich zu sein. Sie sind Abschaum."

Trump's reasoning and choice of words

Trump also did not rule out further attacks. He announced that he would hit Tehran „richtig hart" that very night: „Ich werde sie etwas vorwarnen, wir werden sie heute Nacht richtig hart treffen". He called the US strikes on Iranian targets „sehr heftig", and the situation „sehr enttäuscht" by his allies. He described the personal threat situation like this: „Ich stehe schon seit Jahren ganz oben auf ihrer Liste."

On the margins of the summit, Trump went on to say that the US retaliatory strikes the previous evening had been „sehr hart": „Wir haben ihnen gestern Abend sehr hart zugesetzt, sehr hart." When asked about his abstention from negotiations, Trump made clear that, in his view, the agreement was over – „Was mich betrifft, ist sie vorbei" – but at the same time left open whether negotiators could continue the talks: „Seine Unterhändler werde er aber weiter mit dem Iran reden lassen, wenn diese es wünschten."

Conflicts with Europe: Greenland, Spain, airspace

The rupture with the agreement came amid an already tense atmosphere at the alliance. Trump said he was „sehr enttäuscht" with the alliance: „Er sei ‚sehr enttäuscht‘ von der Allianz". He accused European states of having denied US armed forces the use of their airspace and bases during the conflict. He also reiterated his demand that the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland be placed under US control, and demanded the immediate severance of all trade relations with Spain, which he called „ein schrecklicher Nato-Partner".

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded in Ankara to the renewed Greenland calls with a clear message: „Die dänische Ministerpräsidentin Mette Frederiksen sagte in Ankara, Grönland stehe nicht zum Verkauf". She added: „Wir sind bereit, jeden Zentimeter des Nato-Gebiets zu verteidigen, einschließlich unseres eigenen Territoriums." Trump said later that, without his friendship with host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he might have boycotted the meeting.

Rutte's defence of the US attacks

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stood behind the US military action. He defended the new US attacks ahead of the summit as „absolut notwendig" and declared it „absolut entscheidend, dass die USA entschlossen reagieren". Rutte also argued that Iran had broken the existing ceasefire – a point Trump likewise cited to justify the new attacks. Rutte downplayed Trump's complaints about the allies as „Einzelfälle".

The summit itself was overshadowed by growing defence efforts. NATO states had announced arms deals worth at least 50 billion dollars ahead of the meeting. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) again pointed to the significant increase in defence spending since the last summit in The Hague and said at the working session in Ankara: „Wir haben geliefert."

Summit declaration and the German position

For the summit declaration, the member states' ambassadors had already drafted a text providing for an „unerschütterliche Verpflichtung" to collective defence. This declaration awaits formal approval by the heads of state and government. The 32 NATO heads of state and government are meeting on Wednesday for the main session, after having gathered for a joint dinner on Tuesday evening.

From a German perspective, the meeting thus proceeded on two levels: on the one hand, demonstrative alliance solidarity on armaments and collective defence; on the other, the open break between Trump and parts of Europe – over Iran, Greenland, Spain, and the question of how far Washington will press its alliance obligations. The rupture between Trump and the agreement with Iran further sharpens the question of whether Washington can count on European support at all in an open conflict with Tehran.

At the same time, the US side made clear that further steps could follow. Trump said the situation was complex but his patience was limited: Iran had violated the agreement „jeden Tag", the country was „wohl vorbei" – a formulation that was both an admission and a threat. The volatility of the situation was also reflected in Trump's wavering between announcing new attacks and the possibility of further negotiations: on the one hand „Wir haben ihnen gestern Abend sehr hart zugesetzt", on the other „Seine Unterhändler werde er aber weiter mit dem Iran reden lassen, wenn diese es wünschten".

Outlook: Consequences for the alliance and the Gulf region

In the medium term, the summit in Ankara is likely to be remembered as a turning point: the framework agreement with Iran, hammered out in mid-June, is politically over after Trump's declaration. At the same time, the likelihood of further military confrontations in the Gulf region is growing. Mark Rutte defended the attacks as a response to a breach of the ceasefire and thereby openly sided with Washington – a signal that puts the unity of the alliance under pressure.

The question of how great European support for future US operations against Iran will be remains open. Trump's accusation that Europe denied US armed forces access to airspace during the conflict, as well as his pressure to break off trade relations with Spain, point to a dispute that goes beyond the Iran issue. In Ankara, it emerged that the allies did not want to openly fight out the quarrel over Greenland and the alleged breach of trust over the bases – while at the same time trying to send a signal of unity with the summit declaration.