Trump leaves NATO in the dark on Iran strikes, forcing alliance rethink

President Donald Trump’s decision to launch strikes on Iran without notifying NATO allies in advance has inflamed tensions and pushed European members to urgently reconsider the alliance’s future. The move, which caught NATO officials off guard, signals a growing rift as the U.S. role in the security bloc appears to recede. European countries are now emerging as the bloc’s de facto leaders, scrambling to fill the void and reassert collective defense commitments. The incident underscores a fundamental shift: long reliant on Washington’s command, NATO must now navigate a path where key decisions are made unilaterally.