US President Donald Trump has criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his stance on Iran and blamed the German leader for Berlin's economic and other problems.
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thinks it's acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. He has no idea what he's talking about!“, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If Iran had nuclear weapons, the whole world would be held hostage. I am now taking action against Iran that other countries or presidents should have taken long ago“, Trump said. "No wonder Germany is doing so badly, economically and otherwise!" the American leader added.
Merz said on Monday that the Iranian leadership is on track to "humiliate" the United States in the nearly two-month-long war. He noted that the Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and that Washington clearly lacks a clear strategy. "At the moment, I don't see what strategic outcome the Americans will choose, especially considering that the Iranians are clearly negotiating very skillfully – or they are not very good at negotiating," the chancellor said during a visit to a school in the town of Marsberg in his native Sauerland region.
Merz added that "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, and in particular by the so-called Revolutionary Guard."
"The problem with conflicts like this is always the same: you have to not only intervene, but also withdraw. We saw this very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq," he added.
According to Merz, the complicated situation in the Middle East is already having a very negative economic impact on Germany. The situation is quite complicated at the moment," Merz said. "And that is costing us a lot of money." This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economy, he added.
The Chancellor said that Germany was sticking to its proposal to deploy minesweepers as part of an international coalition to help open the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's oil supplies pass.
However, Merz added that a prerequisite for this was the end of hostilities first.