For decades, the Transatlantic alliance was presented as the cornerstone of the so-called liberal international order—a partnership portrayed by shared values, mutual defence, and coordinated foreign policy. However, the recent US-Israeli war on Iran, which erupted on 28th February 2026, has contributed greatly to shattering that illusion. As the repercussions of such conflicts still cast its effects on the world, the divisions between Washington and its European allies have widened into a chasm, exposing a Western world more fractured and less cohesive than at any time in recent memory.

The war itself was considered perhaps the most significant rupture in the alliance between Washington and Europe. Multiple European leaders have confirmed that they were not consulted before the US and Israel launched their massive strikes on Iranian leadership and infrastructure. John Bolton, former US national security adviser, acknowledged that Trump made a “big mistake not consulting European NATO allies before the war.”

In late April, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly stated that the US was being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership and expressed doubt about any “strategic exit” from the conflict. This prompted an angry response from Trump, who took to social media to attack the German leader directly, telling Merz to focus on Germany’s own problems rather than “interfering in countries that are eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat.” This scenario was also repeated with the leaders of the United Kingdom (UK), France and Spain, who all received similar harsh critics from Trump over their anti-war positions. 

The Strait of Hormuz and energy security

If the war’s initiation exposed divisions, its economic consequences have transformed those divisions into active confrontation. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas passes—has devastated energy-dependent European economies.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently informed the European Parliament that in just 60 days of conflict, Europe’s fossil fuel import bill has........

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