Launched Iran War During Peace Talks; Allies Refused to Help
Despite a "breakthrough" in Iran nuclear talks, Trump and Israel launched airstrikes killing thousands. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. When Trump demanded NATO help, allies refused. Germany: "This is not our war."
Despite Oman's foreign minister announcing a "breakthrough" was "within reach" in Iran nuclear negotiations, Trump and Israel launched massive surprise airstrikes on February 28, 2026, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and thousands of others.
Iran retaliated by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting 20 million barrels per day of oil flow. U.S. gas prices rose 65 cents per gallon.
When Trump demanded NATO allies help reopen the strait, they refused:
- Germany's defense minister stated: "This is not our war, we have not started it"
- Britain declined to participate beyond limited "defensive" basing rights
- France refused to join the war effort
Trump called NATO members "COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!" on Truth Social. The isolation was self-inflicted: having withdrawn from the Iran deal in 2018 when Iran was in compliance, then attacking during active peace negotiations, the U.S. had no international support for a war of its own making.
Fortune summarized the situation: "The U.S. attacked Iran to show its power but the war is already lost."