German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has personally attacked US President Donald Trump for his actions in the Iran war. “What Trump is doing at the moment is not de-escalation and an attempt to find a peaceful solution, but a massive escalation with an open outcome,” said Merz at the “FAZ Congress 2026”. “These are escalations that are already threatening. Not just for those affected, but for all of us.”
Merz also doubted that the leadership in Iran could be overthrown. “Is regime change really the goal?” he asked. “If that’s the goal, I don’t think they’ll achieve it. That’s mostly what failed.” He is not convinced that what the USA and Israel did in the Iran war can lead to success.
US President Trump had previously criticized Germany for the lack of help in securing the Strait of Hormuz. He found it “inappropriate” that the German side said: “This is not our war.” The Republican said this on Thursday during a Cabinet meeting in the White House. Trump did not give a specific name, but attributed the statement to the head (“the head of Germany”). The sentence originally came from Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).