Trump as a Lone Ranger-style enforcer. That is the implicit message coming from the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany. All three nations have edged closer to endorsing joint Israeli-American military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump’s dramatic intervention—ordering Israeli warplanes to turn back in response to a potential Iranian violation of a ceasefire—has been met with cautious approval across much of Europe, welcomed as an act of decisive restraint.
This marks a striking departure from the divisions of 2003, when the American-led invasion of Iraq fractured the West. Back then, countries like France and Germany insisted that only the UN Security Council held the authority to sanction military action, firmly rejecting America’s notion of preemptive strikes as reckless, even lawless. The debate centered on international law, and many viewed unilateral action as unacceptable cowboy diplomacy.
Today, post-war Europe’s talent for dressing inaction in diplomatic language is on full display. French President Emmanuel Macron demonstrated this after Israel’s initial strikes, calling an Iranian nuclear weapon an “existential” threat while cautiously justifying Israel’s actions as having weakened Iran’s missile and enrichment capabilities. After the U.S. joined the strikes, Macron sharpened his rhetoric slightly—calling the actions “legitimate” in goal, though lacking a proper legal framework. Meanwhile, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz dispensed with euphemisms, bluntly stating on national television that Israel is doing “the dirty work” for everyone.
