White House shifting Iran war blame to ally after 'retreating': Politico

President Donald Trump's administration has attempted to shift the consequences of the Iran war to an ally, a report has found.

Trump's team caused a fallout in Bahrain, which has undermined support for the United States. But internal documents shared by Politico show the admin has tried to pin the blame for the fallout on the United Kingdom. Nahal Toosi wrote, "Bahrain’s government is facing questions about whether the U.S. abandoned it to fend for itself against Iranian drones and missiles.

"Bahrain and the U.S. are stalwart allies, and the Middle Eastern country hosts an American military base that serves as headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

"But the Iran war has led to public perceptions that the U.S. abandoned Bahrain to focus on protecting Israel instead, according to the cable from the Bahraini capital, Manama."

Internal documents added to this pressure on the United States's relationship with Bahrain. Toosi added, "Still, the cable also notes that such Bahraini neglect to mention the U.S. may have partly stemmed from a 'desire to protect and maintain the operational security of U.S. personnel and materiel.'

"While the cable never directly says the embassy itself failed on messaging, it points out that the British Embassy’s highly active social media presence 'created a distorted perception of the scale of British assistance and an impression that the U.K. was stepping up where the United States was retreating.'"

Trump has been outspoken about the lack of support received by NATO countries, including the UK, over the war in Iran. British officials cited concerns about the legality of the unilateral military action and the lack of clear congressional approval for the conflict.

The UK's position reflects growing international skepticism about the war's justification and strategic objectives. Trump's response included threats to reconsider U.S. security commitments to the UK and NATO, warning that countries failing to support American military actions would face consequences.

The dispute has exposed deep rifts between Trump and traditional Western allies over military intervention and international law.

The UK's refusal signals that Trump's Iran war has further alienated America from longstanding partners, leaving the administration with diminished international coalition-building capacity for future military operations.