Donald Trump is considering punishing members of NATO that he believes were unhelpful to the US and Israel in the war against Iran by pulling American troops out of the country’s bases.

The proposal would involve moving troops out from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member countries deemed uncooperative with the military campaign, and transferring them to nations who are more supportive of Washington.

Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly threatened to withdraw America from the 32-member alliance, after several NATO countries rejected his calls to help reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas flows.

The President’s belief that the nations didn’t do enough to help the US during Operation Epic Fury is threatening to tear apart the trans-Atlantic alliance, creating what is perhaps the greatest challenge it has faced in its history. 

Washington has around 84,000 soldiers stationed across Europe, with US bases serving as a critical hub of global military operations, as well as providing an economic boon to the host country through investment. 

Bases stationed in Eastern Europe also serve as a deterrent against Moscow. 

Beyond transferring troops away, the punishment could also involve the closure of a US base in at least one of the European countries, possibly Spain or Germany, according to two administration officials who briefed the Wall Street Journal.

It comes as Trump attacked NATO in a furious post on Truth Social following a private meeting with its Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday, telling his followers: ‘NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN.’

In the Truth Social post, Trump also made a thinly-veiled threat about Greenland, which the President has repeatedly sought to take over.

The relationship between the White House and NATO had already soured before the war with Tehran, largely as a result of disagreements over Trump’s desire to seize the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The plan to transfer US troops away from certain NATO nations has circulated and gained support among senior administration officials in recent weeks, highlighting the growing rift between Trump and his European allies.

‘It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defence,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. 

She said the President planned to have a very ‘frank and candid conversation’ with Rutte, who was expected to cajole and convince Trump that it’s in his interest, and America’s, to stay in the alliance.

When asked for comment on the proposals, White House referred to recent statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticising NATO nations for failing to be more supportive to Washington with the war in Tehran.

While it is still unclear which countries would lose US troops, several alliance members have publicly condemned Trump’s military campaign, and may in turn be considered as the nations to be punished.

Spain – the only NATO country that has not pledged to spend five per cent of its GDP on defence – prevented US planes involved in the war from using its airspace, and American officials are also frustrated with Germany after top politicians criticised the war strategy.

Nevertheless, Germany serves as one of the largest and most significant hubs for the US military to support its activities in the Middle East. 

Italy also briefly blocked American use of the Sigonella air base in Sicily, and Emmanuel Macron permitted the US to use a base in southern France after it promised only planes not involved in Iranian strikes would land there. 

Administration officials said that the countries which may benefit from more troop deployment include Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece, because they are deemed by the President as more supportive.

The Eastern European countries have some of the highest defence spending rates in NATO and were some of the first to announce they would join an international coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz. 

After the joint US-Israeli operation against Iran began on February 28, Romania quickly approved Washington’s requests to allow its bases to be used by the US Air Force.

The proposal could result in deploying more US soldiers closer to the Russian border, in a move that will likely antagonise Vladimir Putin.

Following his sit-down with Trump, Rutte described the conversation as ‘very frank’ and ‘very open’, despite clear disagreements. 

While the President took to Truth Social to attack the alliance further, Rutte, who infamously called Trump ‘daddy’ at a summit last year, took on a conciliatory tone as he praised him for the ceasefire agreement in Iran.

The NATO Secretary General told CNN that Trump was ‘clearly disappointed’ by his allies refusal to send help, adding: ‘He clearly told me what he thought of what happened over the last couple of weeks.’

When anchor Jake Tapper asked if Rutte believed the world is safer today than before the war started at the end of February, the NATO leader said: ‘Absolutely… this is thanks to President Trump’s leadership.’

But Rutte declined to comment on whether Trump had expressed any desire to leave NATO, telling CNN: ‘It is a nuanced picture.’

He then went on to explain that degrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities is ‘really important for yours and my safety here in the US, in Europe and in the Middle East’.

Trump last week warned that he was strongly considering pulling the US out of the ‘paper tiger’ bloc. 

He said: ‘I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.’

On Monday, he said he was ‘very disappointed’ with the alliance and that their unwillingness to support the US on the Iran war is ‘a mark on NATO that will never disappear’.

During his first term in 2020, Trump ordered the withdrawal of around 12,000 troops from Germany, but the move was reversed by President Joe Biden after he took office in 2021.