The war with Iran has revealed a long-standing reality: Israel is the United States’ only true ally in the Middle East. Our other supposed allies in the region, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE (United Arab Emirates), refused to allow us to use our own military bases or their airspace even as those countries came under direct attack from Iran. Saudi Arabia has now belatedly permitted the United States to use only one Saudi airbase. Otherwise, these countries have so far only been willing to defend their airspace against incoming Iranian drones and missiles, with Kuwait mistakenly shooting down three USAF F-15s. This raises the question of why the United States should bear the expense of maintaining military bases in these countries, and we are now reportedly considering a proposal to replace them with a base in Israel.
The United States is a net exporter of oil, while our European and Asian allies receive much of their oil and gas via the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump therefore expected their cooperation in keeping the waterway open and called their unanimous refusal to do so “shocking” and “cowardly.” After meeting with the President, Senator Lindsey Graham stated “The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.” In a Truth Social post, Trump also called out Japan, Australia, and South Korea for saying they would not be sending warships.
French President Emmanuel Macron declared that his country would “never take part in operations to open or free the Strait of Hormuz in the current context.” Along with Spain, France refused to allow the United States to use its bases for the purpose of the war and now refuses to allow the U.S. to use its airspace to resupply Israel. This despite a March 1 Iranian drone attack on France’s Camp de la Paix naval base in Abu Dhabi and the killing of a French officer and wounding of 6 others by another Iranian drone in Iraq. President Trump labeled France “very unhelpful” and suggested that if she and other European countries need fuel from the Strait of Hormuz, they should go get it themselves. Israel has drawn similar conclusions, and on March 31 the Ministry of Defense announced it was ending all military contracts with France due to her persistent hostility towards Israel since the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas.
The U.K., once our closest and most reliable European ally, is no better, with British Prime Minister Starmer saying that while the U.K. would be “taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war.” Even this has proven untrue, as an Iranian drone attack on a British base in Cyprus went unanswered. Likewise, NATO has failed to respond to Iranian attacks on an Italian base in northern Iraq and multiple ballistic missile attacks on NATO member Turkey. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a statement saying that the alliance is “not itself involved.” In other words, NATO will not honor its core commitment under Article 5 that any attack on a NATO member is an attack on all. In the same vein, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, “This is not our war; we have not started it.”
This reveals NATO for what it has always been: a collection of countries relying entirely on the United States for protection while refusing to defend themselves or each other. At a conference in Miami on March 27, President Trump concluded that the United States no longer “need[s] to remain in NATO.” “We were always there for them, but now, given their behavior, I don’t think we need to be there for them. Why should we be there for them when they are not there for us?” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the U.S. has done “the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world” regarding the threat from Iran and the security of the Strait of Hormuz. He urged allies to “step up” and assist with the critical waterway, noting that securing it is not solely an American responsibility. Similar sentiments have been expressed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on March 31 that the United States has to reexamine whether NATO has “now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe, but when we need the help of our allies, they’re going to deny us basing rights, and they’re going to deny us overflight.”
If we define an ally as one who will come to our defense, and not just one who expects us to defend them, then we have no real allies in Western Europe or Asia. It is now clear to the U.S. administration and military that Israel is one of our few real allies, not only in the Middle East, but in the world.
The joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran has shown Israel to be not only a willing ally, but a highly capable one. Israel hosted U.S. aircraft when the Gulf states closed their airspace to us and fully participated in the war as an equal partner with the United States. It was Israel that decapitated the Iranian regime’s leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was Israel’s Mossad that has provided critical on-the-ground intelligence in Iran that has been essential in targeting. Israel also has close, long-standing relations with ethnic minorities in Iran, such as the Kurds, and with neighboring countries Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
U.S. military leadership has recently described cooperation with Israel as “extraordinary” and “historic.” Coordination occurs at every level of the chain of command. Israeli officers are embedded at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) bases, while U.S. officers are stationed at the Kirya, Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited Israel as the official guest of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir. Officials report between 4,000 and 5,000 daily calls between the two militaries to synchronize efforts. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth characterized Israel as a “steadfast partner” with both the “will and capability” to achieve “incredible effects” through coordinated targeting. He described the combined force as bringing “sheer destruction” to adversaries.
Will the United States withdraw from NATO? That still remains to be seen. What is already certain is which countries are our real allies, and which are not. Whatever the outcome of the war, the unprecedented close cooperation between the political and military leadership of Israel and the United States has produced a new level of mutual respect and trust that will have positive, far-reaching effects.
Photo source: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
Devin Sper 