U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply responded to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the German leader questioned Washington’s approach toward Iran and warned that the conflict could escalate without a clear exit strategy.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump rejected Merz’s criticism and accused him of misunderstanding the situation. The American president argued that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains a priority not only for the United States, but for global security.
According to Trump, the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran would be severe, and he defended the U.S. military and diplomatic approach as necessary. He also suggested that stronger action should have been taken earlier by previous administrations and international partners.
Trump’s response also included criticism of Germany itself. He claimed that Berlin is facing serious economic and political difficulties, implying that this weakens Germany’s position when commenting on major international security issues.
The exchange comes at a sensitive moment for relations between Washington and Berlin. Although Merz had previously been seen as a European leader capable of maintaining direct communication with Trump, the latest remarks point to a growing distance between the two governments.
Merz has recently stepped up his criticism of U.S. policy toward Iran, warning that Washington risks entering a prolonged conflict without a defined political outcome. He compared the situation to past U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, where, according to him, the challenge was not only how to enter a conflict, but how to end it.
The dispute highlights a broader disagreement among Western allies over how to handle Iran, balancing the goal of preventing nuclear escalation with concerns about the risks of a wider and longer war.
