Trump Attacks Giorgia Meloni Over Iran War, Says She Lacks Courage

United States President Donald Trump attacked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over her unwillingness to join the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, saying in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.”

“United States President Donald Trump has attacked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his main European allies, over her unwillingness to join the war on Iran”

Al Jazeera

The dispute, as described by multiple outlets, was tied to Meloni’s refusal to back the war on Iran and her defense of Pope Leo XIV after Trump criticized him.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that Trump said Meloni “doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance,” and also complained that “She doesn’t help us with NATO.”

Euronews similarly quoted Trump saying “She doesn’t want to help get rid of a nuclear-weaponed Iran. Very sad … She’s much different than I thought,” and added that he called NATO a “paper tiger.”

In the same Corriere interview, Trump said he and Meloni “had not spoken this month, ‘not in a long time,’” and argued Europe was not “willing to fight for the Hormuz strait, which is where they get their energy.”

France 24 framed the rupture as a political moment for Italy, describing how Meloni learned of Trump’s “unacceptable” label on a government plane between Verona and Rome and then adopted a line that “Being allies does not mean there are no red lines, and it certainly does not mean being vassals or subjects.”

Across the reporting, the Trump-Meloni clash was presented as a break that had been building since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and was amplified by the pope controversy.

The Trump-Meloni feud was repeatedly linked to Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and Trump’s retaliatory attacks on the pontiff, which then spilled into a broader dispute about Italy’s stance.

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

Breakingthenews.net

It quoted Trump saying, “She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance,” and also described Trump’s complaint that Meloni “doesn’t help us with NATO.”

DW described the pope episode as the “breaking point,” saying Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV and a social media post depicting the U.S. president as an AI-generated Jesus proved decisive for Meloni’s break.

JTA added that the causes of the breach were “the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, and the pope,” and reported that Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV after he said on Friday that “God does not bless any conflict” and that Christians should never be on the side of those who drop bombs.

The Times reported Trump told Corriere della Sera that the pope had “no idea” about the war in Iran and suggested he “doesn’t understand that 42,000 protesters were killed in Iran last month.”

PBS, quoting Associated Press, said Trump doubled down on Wednesday by telling Fox News, “She’s been negative,” and “Anybody that turned us down to helping with this Iran situation, we do not have the same relationship.”

Italian political figures and party leaders responded quickly to Trump’s attacks, with multiple outlets quoting both government and opposition voices.

Euronews reported Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X, “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,” and added that “he was not mistaken, but she is a woman who never shies away from saying what she thinks.”

Euronews also quoted Elly Schlein condemning Trump’s “serious lack of respect” and saying, “Our constitution is clear — Italy repudiates war.”

Al Jazeera described how Meloni’s allies and political opponents were “swift to offer their support,” quoting Tajani’s message about mutual loyalty, respect, and honesty, and quoting Schlein’s parliamentary line that “Our constitution is clear – Italy repudiates war.”

JTA reported that Schlein, speaking in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, expressed “strongest condemnation” of Trump’s “attack on Meloni for having dutifully expressed solidarity with Pope Leo,” and reiterated her opposition to the Iran war with “I want to reiterate that Italy is a free and sovereign country, and our Constitution is clear: Italy repudiates war.”

PBS reported that Meloni “has not directly responded to Trump's attacks,” but said the criticism may help her as she recovers from a “decisive referendum defeat last month” and as she seeks to dull the impact of the “deeply unpopular Iran war, including higher energy prices.”

DW included quotes from Roberto D’Alimonte, an emeritus professor at the University of Florence, saying, “There are elections in Italy next year and in Italy, too, the price at the pump will decide” who wins or loses.

Alongside the Iran and pope dispute, Italy’s government moved to suspend the automatic renewal of a defense agreement with Israel, a step described as deepening tensions and signaling a shift in international relations.

Al Jazeera reported that separately on Tuesday, Italy suspended a defense agreement with Israel that involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, quoting Meloni: “In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel.”

Diari ARA

JTA similarly said the rift deepened when Meloni announced that Italy had ended its defense agreement with Israel, quoting her: “In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” and adding, “When there are things we don’t agree with, we act accordingly.”

France 24 described the suspension as another move underlining the new direction, quoting Meloni again: “In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,” and noting that an Italian diplomatic source told AFP, “It would have been politically difficult to keep it going.”

France 24 also provided details of the agreement’s scope, saying it covers cooperation across defence industries, military training, research and development and information technology, and reported that the agreement was approved by Israel in 2006 and renewed every five years.

The outlets tied the suspension to a deterioration in bilateral ties after Italy accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian peacekeepers in Lebanon, and France 24 reported that Italy summoned Israel's ambassador in protest on April 8.

JTA added that the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the suspension, saying, “We have no security agreement with Italy. We have a memorandum of understanding from many years ago that has never contained any substantive content,” and “This will not affect Israel’s security.”

Multiple reports connected the Iran war to Italy’s energy costs and to the political calculus around Meloni’s stance, while also describing how Trump’s criticism could reverberate into future policy.

“Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV— and a social media post depicting the US president as an AI-generated Jesus — proved to be the breaking point for Giorgia Meloni”

DW

DW said a March poll by YouGov found that 80% of Italians had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, and it linked that to “the Iran war leading to a steep rise in energy prices in Italy, which is heavily dependent on natural gas.”

DW

DW also cited a poll by Italian research institute SWG saying “nine in 10 Italians said they were quite worried about the impact of the Iran war on energy prices, while six in 10 said they were against the war with Iran.”

DW described how the conflict and blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s counterattacks on Qatar’s biggest gas refinery forced Italy to look for alternatives, driving up electricity prices, and it quoted Goretti on diesel: “Diesel price in Italy is more than €2 [$2.30] per liter.”

France 24 described the political stakes as Meloni managed repercussions of Trump’s rebuke and suggested it could serve her interests ahead of the 2027 legislative elections, while also noting that the dispute had “been building since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran.”

PBS, quoting Associated Press, said Meloni was expected to leverage strong ties with Trump but that the distance grew over the Iran war, and it reported Meloni “has stated Italy will not participate in the war.”

The Times added a further political and religious dimension by reporting that Trump reposted an AI-generated Jesus image and wrote on Truth Social, “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!,” while also quoting Leo telling reporters he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue preaching peace.