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By Ellie Cook and Toby Meyjes
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President Donald Trump has said France refused to allow planes carrying military supplies to Israel fly over French territory in the latest sign of tension between the U.S. and its European allies over the Iran war.
Paris has been "very unhelpful" in ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations to take out Iran's top leadership, Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
"The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!" Trump added.
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Trump's statement appears to make France at least the third European country to curb U.S. or Israeli military activity linked to the Iran war over their territory.
France refused access to Israeli aircraft carrying American weapons for the war in Iran for the first time over the weekend, Reuters reported, citing three anonymous sources.
France's Armed Forces Ministry told Newsweek in a statement on Thursday that flights crossing into French airspace from foreign states always require diplomatic approval, and these countries may request specific authorization or have annual passes and then notify French authorities.
"The armed forces are involved in the processing of applications to ensure their ability to guarantee the security of French airspace and the safety of partners transiting through it," the government said.
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U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, now in their fifth week, have driven a new wedge between the U.S. and Europe, with many nations seeking to distance themselves from the conflict if not openly condemning the attacks.
Rome blocked several U.S. bombers from landing at its Sigonella base in eastern Sicily a few days ago, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has criticized the war as "outside the scope of international law" and insisted that Italy is not involved in the conflict, a break from the typically close relations the right-wing leader has enjoyed with the current U.S. administration.
The U.S. does not need to request high-level permission from Italy to use bases in the European country for logistics or training, but does need authorization from the Italian top brass to use the facilities for any operations relating to attacks.
It comes after Spain confirmed on Monday that it had blocked any U.S. aircraft linked to the war from entering its airspace.
In response, a White House official told Newsweek the United States does not need “help from Spain or anyone else."
Madrid had previously attracted the White House's ire after barring U.S. jets and refueling aircraft from the jointly-operated Rota and Morón bases near the southern cities of Cádiz and Seville to attack Iran. Trump threatened to choke off trade with "terrible" Spain.
The U.K., meanwhile, said on March 20 that it had agreed to allow the U.S. military to use British bases to target Iranian sites in the key Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, which Iran has effectively blocked.
The British government had only previously permitted U.S. forces to make use of facilities in the country for defensive operations, rather than strikes on Iran.
Trump, in a separate social media post on Tuesday, said the U.K. had "refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran" and reiterated calls for NATO nations to become more directly involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Update 3/31/2026 at 9:30 a.m.: This article has been updated with additional information and a new headline.
Update 4/5/2026 at 12 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a response from the French government.
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