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Germany's Merz Downplays Tensions with US Over Iran War
(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz moved Wednesday to defuse mounting speculation over a rift with Washington, insisting his personal rapport with US President Donald Trump remains intact even as he sharpened his criticism of the prolonged Iran war and its devastating economic consequences for Europe.
"The personal relationship between the US president and myself remains, in my view, unchanged and good," Merz told reporters in Berlin, responding to questions about his increasingly vocal opposition to the conflict and Trump's pointed social media attacks directed at the German leader.
Merz made clear his reservations about the war are neither new nor politically motivated, tracing his skepticism back to the conflict's very outset.
"I have had doubts from the very beginning about what was initiated with the war in Iran, and that is why I have expressed this," he said. "We in Germany and Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences, for example, of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."
The Chancellor underscored that the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran is delivering tangible economic damage to Germany and the broader European continent, directly straining energy supplies and dragging down economic output.
Despite the friction, Merz was careful to frame the transatlantic relationship as fundamentally functional, couching his assurances in deliberately informal language.
"Therefore, I am urging that this conflict be resolved, and we are still engaged in productive discussions with one another," he said. "So, to put it in Anglo-American terms, we are still on good speaking terms."
The remarks reflect the delicate balancing act facing Berlin as it attempts to maintain its strategic alliance with Washington while pushing back against a war it believes is inflicting disproportionate collateral damage on European economies.
"The personal relationship between the US president and myself remains, in my view, unchanged and good," Merz told reporters in Berlin, responding to questions about his increasingly vocal opposition to the conflict and Trump's pointed social media attacks directed at the German leader.
Merz made clear his reservations about the war are neither new nor politically motivated, tracing his skepticism back to the conflict's very outset.
"I have had doubts from the very beginning about what was initiated with the war in Iran, and that is why I have expressed this," he said. "We in Germany and Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences, for example, of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."
The Chancellor underscored that the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran is delivering tangible economic damage to Germany and the broader European continent, directly straining energy supplies and dragging down economic output.
Despite the friction, Merz was careful to frame the transatlantic relationship as fundamentally functional, couching his assurances in deliberately informal language.
"Therefore, I am urging that this conflict be resolved, and we are still engaged in productive discussions with one another," he said. "So, to put it in Anglo-American terms, we are still on good speaking terms."
The remarks reflect the delicate balancing act facing Berlin as it attempts to maintain its strategic alliance with Washington while pushing back against a war it believes is inflicting disproportionate collateral damage on European economies.
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