US president Donald Trump lashed out at Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday in a harshly-worded interview with leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The exclusive interview saw Trump express open astonishment at Meloni's conduct, accusing her of refusing to support American efforts on Iran's nuclear programme and of failing to act in Italy's own interests.
"I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," he told the paper, adding that he was "shocked" by her.
Trump delivered his stinging rebuke of Meloni, his erstwhile European ally, in a six-minute telephone interview with the same newspaper in which he had praised the Italian leader effusively just weeks earlier.
As recently as March, Trump had described Meloni as "an excellent leader and a friend" in another call with the Corriere, saying she "always tries to help." That assessment has now been pointedly withdrawn.
At the centre of the dispute is Italy's position on Iran. Trump accused Meloni of refusing to engage on the issue and of expecting the US to act on her behalf.
"She simply says Italy doesn't want to be involved," he said: "She thinks America should do the work for her."
When asked whether the two leaders had spoken about the matter, Trump said they had not - and had not been in contact for "a long time".
"Because she doesn't want to help us with NATO, doesn't want to help us get rid of the nuclear weapon," he said. "She is very different from what I thought."
When questioned if he asked Italy to use minesweepers for the Strait of Hormuz, the US president stated: "I've asked them to send whatever they want, but they don't want to because NATO is a paper tiger."
