Latest news:
- Trump said the US “might need” to restart war with Iran, even while claiming Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal badly”.
- Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US’s naval blockade on Iranian ports amounts to “an extension of military operations” and is “intolerable”.
Trump slams Germany’s Merz again as rift over Iran war widens
Berlin says ‘prepared’ for fewer US troops, as Trump says German chancellor should focus on European affairs, not Iran.
Trump scolds Germany’s Merz for criticism of Iran war
“The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
He added that the war on Iran, which has sent energy prices soaring across the globe, is “making the World, including Germany, a safer place”.
The episode underscores the fraying effects of the Iran war on the US-Europe alliance, which Trump launched jointly with Israel without consulting Washington’s NATO partners.
On Wednesday, Trump said his administration is considering scaling back the number of US troops in Germany, where Washington’s military presence is seen as the centre of its security umbrella over Europe.
Berlin has said it is ready for the possibility of fewer US soldiers on its soil while emphasising NATO cooperation.
Continued below the fold.
Latest developments
- Iran’s supreme leader says a “new chapter” is emerging in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf.
- He has defended Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries and blamed what he calls “America’s puppet bases” in the Middle East for insecurity in the region.
- Khamenei also says Iran will closely guard its nuclear and missile capabilities despite Trump’s desire to dismantle them.
- The Israeli army has issued threats for eight towns in southern Lebanon as the military intensifies its attacks.
- Lebanon’s President Aoun has called for Israel to “stop targeting civilians, paramedics, civil defence” and other civilian groups.
- Italy has denounced Israel’s interception and seizure of Global Sumud Flotilla boats in international waters and demanded the release of its citizens.
- Trump said the US “might need” to restart war with Iran, even while claiming Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal badly”.
“We are prepared for that,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, according to the AFP news agency.
“We are discussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies, and we are expecting decisions from the Americans about this.”
The feud started when Merz, who had previously been closely aligned with the US and Israel in their hawkish approach to Iran, questioned Washington’s strategy in the conflict.
“The problem with conflicts like this is always you don’t just have to get in – you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,” he said.
He also suggested that the Trump administration is being “humiliated” by Tehran’s negotiating tactics and its refusal to engage in direct talks before its conditions – namely lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports – are met.
Trump scolded Merz over the remarks earlier this week, saying that the German leader “doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.
Berlin has tried to walk back Merz’s comments. Wadephul, the foreign minister, told public broadcaster DW on Wednesday that the chancellor was referring to Iran’s “bad behaviour” in the talks, echoing Trump’s assessment that Tehran is “overplaying” its hand.
“What we currently see is that Iran is playing for time and not really negotiating in a way which is necessary,” Wadephul said.