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Donald Trump has lashed out at German chancellor Friedrich Merz over his criticisms of the US handling of its ongoing war with Iran.
Earlier this week, Mr Merz said the US had been “humiliated” by Iran, with Washington and Tehran struggling to come to an agreement on how to bring about a permanent end to the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that the Iranians are “obviously very skilled at negotiating”.
In a scathing Truth Social post in response late on Tuesday, Donald Trump said: “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!
“If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both economically and otherwise,” he added.
From my perspective, my personal relationship with the US president remains good
Mr Merz said yesterday -his relationship with Mr Trump remained good despite the row between the two men, but he reiterated his worries over the economic impact of the conflict.
“From my perspective, my personal relationship with the US president remains good. I simply had doubts from the start about what was begun with the war in Iran. That is why I have made that clear,” Mr Merz told reporters.
“In Germany and Europe we are suffering from the consequences, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This has a direct impact on our energy supply and a huge impact on our economic performance,” Mr Merz said, adding that Washington and Berlin were speaking to each other.
It is only the latest in a series of attacks the US president has launched across the Atlantic, as US-European relations are under strain following the refusal of several Nato countries to enthusiastically join the US war on Iran.
While the US-UK relationship is still salvageable – as the president himself said was “absolutely” the case ahead of King Charles’s visit to Washington – Mr. Donald Trump’s relationship with Spain may be beyond repair.
“Spain has been terrible,” the US president said in early March, days after the US-Israeli war on Iran was launched.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
