Trump criticises Meloni’s ‘lack of courage’ on Iran conflict

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered a sharp rebuke of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a key European ally, over her refusal to support the Iran war.

“I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The interview was published the day after Meloni condemned as “unacceptable” Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff’s repeated calls for an end to the war in the Middle East.

Trump told Corriere that she was the “unacceptable” one, claiming she didn’t care if Iran had a nuclear weapon.

Trump stated that she did not want Italy to be involved in the conflict, which began with Israeli-US attacks on Iran, despite the fact that the country receives a large portion of its oil from the region.

Meloni, Italy’s far-right leader since October 2022, has been one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, frequently acting as a bridge between opposing US and European viewpoints.

Meloni’s allies and political opponents were swift to offer their support.

“We are and remain staunch supporters of Western unity and steadfast allies of the United States, but this unity is built on mutual loyalty, respect, and honesty,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X.

He said that until now, Trump considered Meloni a courageous person, and “he was not mistaken, but she is a woman who never shies away from saying what she thinks”.