French, German, and Italian media sharply criticized President Trump’s recent address on Iran, citing a lack of strategy and potential global instability.
French Media: A Festival of Self-Adulation
French media outlets characterized President Trump’s Wednesday address as an exercise in self-admiration and detachment from reality regarding American “victories.” They noted the absence of a clear strategy toward Iran.
“Le Monde” newspaper asserted that the U.S. has become an “agent of chaos.”
Criticism of U.S. Iran Policy
“Le Monde” critically analyzed Trump’s remarks on the conflict with Iran, stating that “plans (of the USA) are constantly changing since February 28th,” the beginning of the conflict. The commentary highlighted the risk of a severe global economic crisis stemming from the conflict.
Trump indicated the U.S. was close to “completing the task,” with minimal mention of diplomatic contacts with Tehran, while also threatening a “very powerful” attack on Iran within “two to three weeks” to return it to the “stone age.”
“Donald Trump gives the impression of negotiating with himself, as the situation evolves and negative consequences mount,” according to “Le Monde.”
Doubts About U.S. Victory and Potential Chaos
The newspaper reported the address was filled with self-satisfaction and focused on highlighting alleged military successes, despite a lack of conclusive evidence of a breakthrough in the war.
“It is no longer clear what constitutes victory, given how much the goals have changed,” wrote “Le Monde,” noting that “regime change in Tehran was promised and then abandoned,” while Trump claims to be in contact with “completely different” people.
Concerns Over Strategic Vulnerabilities
Media outlets highlighted the potential for Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz and for Houthi rebels in Yemen to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, scenarios that reportedly surprised the U.S. administration, which is attempting to blame European allies, South Korea, Japan, and China for such a situation.
“Amidst the triumphalist rhetoric, Donald Trump is looking for scapegoats, further isolating Washington,” the newspaper assessed.
Concerns were also raised regarding logistical issues, including potential shortages of weapons and ammunition, impacting the ability to conduct prolonged military operations. The Pentagon was also criticized for drawing few lessons from Russia’s four-year war with Ukraine, particularly regarding drone usage.
Damage to U.S. Reputation and Alliances
“Le Monde” concluded that, regardless of the war’s duration or outcome, the consequences for the United States are already apparent, having “dealt a catastrophic blow to its reputation, the credibility of its administration, which avoids all expertise, and finally the relations it maintains with its allies, if such status still has any meaning.”
German Media: Clichéd Phrases
German media outlets reported that President Trump repeated clichéd phrases, failed to present a clear strategy, and attempted to create an impression of victory in his address regarding the war with Iran.
“Der Spiegel” reported that Trump attempted to “conjure up victory and ‘explain the war with Iran’ to Americans,” but “nothing more than clichéd phrases” emerged.
“Those expecting insight into the goals of this war and what will happen next must have been disappointed,” the portal stated.
Lack of New Information and Strategy
According to “Spiegel,” Trump “tried to create the impression of victory using superlatives and promises,” but “said nothing new, announced no breakthrough, and presented no clear strategy.”
“Even the threat of ‘bombing Iran back to the stone age’ was not new—it could already be read in his social media,” the portal added.
“Der Spiegel” suggested Trump delivered the address to “calm Americans who are becoming increasingly uneasy about high fuel prices,” but likely failed to do so.
The outlet also noted the absence of any mention of “freedom” for the Iranian people, a topic Trump discussed a month prior.
Limited New Details and Public Opinion
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” observed that the U.S. leader’s speech was “relatively short and, above all, contained little new information,” noting the lack of discussion regarding the potential seizure of Iranian oil, previously mentioned by Trump.
The newspaper noted that CNN published a poll hours before the address, revealing that only one-third of Americans believe the President has a plan for the Middle East.
Anticipation and Lack of Substance
“Sueddeutsche Zeitung” reported that Trump’s speech was “awaited with great tension.”
“Would the U.S. president announce a victorious end? Or a ceasefire for negotiations? Or would he explain what goals he intends to achieve by military means and what role ground troops will play in this? Trump spoke for just 19 minutes on Wednesday evening and did none of these things. After a month of war, he essentially repeated what he had said in recent days and weeks,” wrote “SZ.”
Italian Media: Remarks on NATO
Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” highlighted that President Trump cannot unilaterally leave NATO, but could “annihilate” the Alliance by refusing funding and military support. This referred to Trump’s comments about considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO.
In an interview with the British newspaper “The Telegraph,” Trump also called the Alliance a “paper tiger” and expressed being “disgusted with NATO.”
“La Repubblica” featured the latter statement in the headline of its Thursday edition.
Trump’s Discontent with NATO and Potential Consequences
A columnist for the newspaper noted: “Trump’s dislike of NATO is nothing new, and he threatened to leave the Alliance during his first term. At the last summit in the Netherlands, member states agreed to increase military spending to 5 percent of GDP, but this was not enough to satisfy the president, who expected intervention at his side in Iran. It should be remembered that NATO is a defensive alliance, the Islamic Republic (of Iran – PAP) does not lie within its area of operation, and the White House host did not even inform the Alliance about the attack on Tehran.”
“It should also be remembered that Article 5 on collective defense has been invoked only once, to help the USA after September 11, 2001,” the author emphasized, referencing the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks.
The commentator noted: “In reality, Trump cannot unilaterally leave NATO, because the law passed by Congress in 2023, designed to restrain him, requires the consent of the Senate by a two-thirds majority. However, he can annihilate NATO by refusing funding and weapons and applying Article 5.”
The commentator also noted reports that the U.S. president threatened European countries with cutting off arms supplies to Ukraine if they do not join a coalition to restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is blocking in retaliation for the war waged against it by Israel and the United States since February 28th.
As noted in the Roman newspaper, U.S. allies are currently hoping that, as in the past, Trump will ultimately not fulfill his threats.