As U.S. President Donald Trump shifts the task of managing the situation onto Europe, which did not want a war with Iran, anger is mounting across Europe. With criticism growing that the economic burden arising from a war launched without prior consultation is being passed on intact, cracks in trust within the transatlantic alliance are also accelerating.

After carrying out airstrikes on Iran together with Israel on February 28 (local time), President Trump incited regime change by telling the Iranian people, “When the attacks end, take control of your government.” In a national address on the 1st, now in the fifth week of the war, he sent a similar message to Europe. As Iran has effectively sealed off the Strait of Hormuz and Europe faces an energy crisis, Trump said, “Go to the Strait and secure and protect it yourselves,” and demanded, “The United States will help, but Europe must take the lead.” In other words, the safety of the Strait of Hormuz is no longer America’s responsibility.

Richard Haass, chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), told CNN this signaled a new U.S. policy line in the Middle East. He noted that, the exact opposite of the so-called “pottery shop rule” from the Iraq War “if you break it, you own it” Trump is effectively telling Europe, “We are the ones who damaged it, but you should bear the responsibility.”

Experts analyze that even if President Trump steps away from the war, Europe will be left with two serious consequences.

First is the energy shock. With the Strait of Hormuz through which one fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows effectively blocked, Europe is taking a direct hit. According to CNN, before fully recovering from the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe is being struck by another shock. The Brussels-based think tank Bruegel warned that if European Union (EU) member states enter a race to secure alternative gas, energy costs could rise sharply. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called last month for a resumption of Russian energy imports in this context. Although he walked back the remark amid internal and external backlash, CNN predicted that if the closure of the Strait is prolonged, such voices will grow louder.

Second is the weakening of trust in the alliance. Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder told CNN, “The essence of a military alliance is trust,” warning, “It has now become difficult for any European country to believe that the United States would come to its defense.” He also criticized, “The president started a war without consulting Congress, the American people, or allies,” adding, “Now, a month on, we are forced to choose between escalation and withdrawal.”

The most forthright criticism came from French President Emmanuel Macron. While on a state visit to South Korea, immediately after Trump’s national address, Macron launched a pointed critique, saying, “There are too many statements and there is no consistency.” The Guardian reported that this was due to Trump’s frequently shifting messages. Trump claimed the war was effectively at a stage of victory while asking allies for military support, and at the same time urged allies to “secure the Strait of Hormuz directly.”

Macron stressed, “If you want to act seriously, you should not say something different every day from the day before,” and, “What is needed now is stability and peace, not a show.” Responding to Trump’s hints at withdrawing from NATO, Macron said, “Alliances like NATO are built on trust that is not expressed in words,” and countered, “If you make people question the same promise every day, you damage the essence of the alliance.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also pushed back, calling NATO “the most effective military alliance in the world.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Washington next week to try to repair relations, but the prospects are uncertain. After President Trump’s remark in February about attempting to annex Greenland, trust within the transatlantic alliance, already shaken, has taken another hit in this latest episode.

CNN reported that, having bent to many U.S. demands in the first year of Trump’s second term, Europe has clearly shifted this year toward no longer being dragged along. The aim is to reduce reliance on the United States itself by fostering an independent defense industry and accelerating a transition to renewable energy. The analysis is that Europe, recognizing that the United States is an unreliable ally, has begun moving to make the United States an ally it needs less.