U.S. President Donald Trump says he's strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO. Trump remarks have ratcheted up his criticism of European allies and exposed a wider rift in the trans-Atlantic alliance. This time over the Iran war. Trump's talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years. But the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. published Wednesday were among the clearest and most disparaging yet. Trump was asked whether he would reconsider U.S. membership in the alliance after the conflict in the Middle East ends. Trump replied: "Oh yes, I would say (it's) beyond reconsideration." NATO didn't provide immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

President Emmanuel Macron is updating France's nuclear deterrence doctrine as Europe worries about Russia and doubts U.S. protection under Donald Trump. On Monday, Macron will speak at a French submarine base and signal how France thinks about using nuclear weapons. The war in Ukraine and Russia's nuclear threats have shaken Europe's security assumptions. Analysts say some Europeans are looking to France for a backup nuclear guarantee. France is the only nuclear power in the European Union. Macron last laid down policy in 2020 and said France has fewer than 300 warheads. Experts are listening for any stronger promise to protect allies.

President Donald Trump has declined to say whether he plans to resume underground nuclear detonation tests. He had seemed to suggest that was a possibility in a social media post this week. The post raised concerns the U.S. would begin testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades. The president told reporters, "You'll find out very soon" when he was asked about it. Trump said, "We're going to do some testing" and "Other countries do it. If they're going to do it, we're going to." But he refused to offer more details. He spoke aboard Air Force One as he headed to Florida on Friday for the weekend.