Trump Doubles Down on G7 Photo Claim, Prompting Fresh Rift With Meloni

US President Donald Trump has reignited a public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , doubling down on claims that she repeatedly sought a photograph with him during the recent G7 Summit in France and accusing Italy of failing to fully support the United States during the conflict involving Iran.

The latest remarks came after Trump used his social media platform on Saturday to defend comments he had made earlier in an interview with an Italian television network. In the interview, Trump claimed that Meloni had "begged" for a photograph with him at the G7 gathering, a statement that the Italian leader swiftly dismissed as "completely fabricated."

Escalating the controversy, Trump wrote that Meloni had asked "over and over" for a picture during the summit, while also suggesting that her popularity in Italy was declining. He further alleged that the Italian prime minister was seeking to restore friendly relations with Washington following a preliminary US-Iran agreement aimed at ending hostilities.

The social media exchange has sparked a diplomatic row between the two allies , with members of Meloni's government rallying behind her and rejecting Trump's assertions. The dispute reportedly contributed to Italy's foreign minister cancelling a planned visit to the United States, underscoring growing tensions generated by the public war of words.

Beyond the photograph controversy, Trump criticized Italy's position during the Iran conflict, arguing that Rome had not provided sufficient cooperation to the United States. He complained that Italy refused to allow the use of certain landing strips and runways for American military operations, linking the issue to broader concerns about burden-sharing among NATO allies .

Italy, which hosts key US military facilities and serves as an important logistical hub in the Mediterranean, had previously maintained that the use of its bases for military operations requires parliamentary approval . Earlier this year, Rome reportedly declined a request to allow American bombers headed to the Middle East to operate from a Sicilian base without such authorization.