Rubio raises questions over allies' lack of support for U.S. military efforts against Iran

▲ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy on May 8, 2026, in this photo released by Reuters. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Rubio-Iran war-allies

Rubio raises questions over allies' lack of support for U.S. military efforts against Iran

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday raised questions about allies' lack of support for the United States' military efforts to address Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Rubio made the remarks in a press meeting after he met separately with Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as part of his two-day trip to Rome, which was aimed at improving bilateral ties after a period of tensions over the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

"I don't understand why anybody would not be supportive of that, and (President Donald Trump) doesn't understand, and rightfully so, why somebody wouldn't (be) supportive of that," the secretary said, stressing that Trump has been striving to tackle Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration over allies not acceding to his calls for support for the ongoing military campaign against Iran, including naval assistance to secure the Strait of Hormuz effectively choked off by the war.

Pointing to Iran's push to control the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said that should the world "normalize" a country claiming to control an international waterway, it would set a "precedent that is going to be repeated in a dozen other places."

"If the answer is no, we don't want to normalize it, then you'd better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up. And that's the point I've made in all of my visits, not just here," the secretary said.

The top diplomat singled out Spain as an ally that denied the U.S. the use of military bases in a contingency, as he underscored that an advantage of the U.S. being in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the use of European military bases in the event of a crisis.

"If one of the main reasons why the U.S. is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that's no longer the case, at least when it comes to some NATO members," he said. "That's a problem, and it has to be examined."

Amid U.S. frustration over NATO allies' lack of support for the anti-Iran operations, the Trump administration decided to pull out some 5,000 troops from Germany, where about 36,000 American service members are stationed.

Asked if he discussed the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from Italy during his talks with Meloni, Rubio said that the two sides did not discuss any specifics.

"That's a decision for the president to make. It's a decision every president makes," he said.

Trump has also expressed discomfort over South Korea not responding to his call for naval support to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Last month, he pointed out that South Korea was "not helpful" to the U.S. despite America having stationed its troops "in harm's way" in the Asian country, which he stressed is located "right next to" North Korea's nuclear force.

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