This Is Not Europe’s Crusade—Yet

Not only are European countries declining to support the United States and Israel in their war on Iran, but they are also placing obstacles in the way.

• Spain: After previously refusing U.S. access to its air bases, yesterday Spain banned American planes involved in the war from its airspace entirely. Earlier this month, President Trump criticized Spain for being uncooperative and threatened to cut off all trade with the nation.
• Italy: A few days ago, Italy refused to allow several U.S. aircraft involved in the war to land at the Sigonella base, according to Corriere della Sera. The paper cited sources close to the Italian Defense Ministry saying that the aircraft were already well into their flights before the U.S. military requested base access.
• France: “The country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,” President Trump wrote on social media today: “France has been very unhelpful with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will remember!!!”
• Germany: Last week the German president called the attack on Iran a violation of international law. Germany was one of the first and most adamant countries to reject the U.S. request for help to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
• Britain: Similar to the Europeans, the British initially denied U.S. access to air bases, then partially relented. It responded to an Iranian proxy attack on its own base in Cyprus with an agonizingly slow dispatch of a single frigate. Its other contribution to the U.S. has basically been a few military planners giving advice on how to handle Iran’s maritime terrorism in the strait.

President Trump addressed the United Kingdom and “all of those countries” that have “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” and are now struggling for energy supplies, including jet fuel, because of Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz:

I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the strait, and just take it. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.

Europe was outraged when Iran’s radical regime punctuated years of oppression and terrorism by killing tens of thousands of its own people in January. It is greatly threatened by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. And it is greatly concerned about Iran’s dangerous pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and its ambitions for Jerusalem.

“The Islamic people have fought the Catholic Crusades for about 1,500 years over control of Jerusalem. Bible prophecy says one final crusade is about to erupt.”
—Gerald Flurry, Trumpet editor in chief, April 2011

For now, however, Europe’s opposition to the U.S. is greater than its concerns over Iran. Bible prophecy shows that Europe will unleash a true crusade on radical Islam as it has in the past. But this prophesied war will not be headed by or include the U.S. Why? Because it will also be a target of the same crusade.