Germany’s Merz Defends Iran Remarks, Vows to Keep Working with Trump

(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed Sunday that Washington will not be deploying Tomahawk cruise missiles on German soil in the near term — while firmly rejecting any suggestion that the decision was tied to his publicly aired grievances against President Donald Trump.

Speaking to a public broadcaster, Merz pointed to a straightforward military supply reality rather than political friction: "The Americans don't have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind."

The long-range Tomahawk missiles — originally pledged by then-President Joe Biden in 2024 — were earmarked to bolster Germany's deterrent posture against Russia while Europe works to develop comparable weapons systems of its own.

On the equally sensitive matter of nuclear burden-sharing, Merz offered an unequivocal reassurance to NATO allies: "There are absolutely no compromises. There is no restriction on the US commitment to nuclear deterrence in the NATO area. There is no doubt about that whatsoever."

Merz also moved to defuse alarm over Trump's announcement Friday of a withdrawal of more than 5,000 US troops from Germany, dismissing it as "nothing new." He noted the contingent had been stationed on a temporary basis under Biden and that its eventual drawdown had long been anticipated. "It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's nothing new," the chancellor said.

Pushback from Washington has been fierce. Trump lashed out at Merz following the chancellor's assertion that Iran had "humiliated" the US at the negotiating table, branding Merz a "terrible" chancellor and accusing him of ineffectiveness on the Russia-Ukraine front. Yet Merz stood by his assessment of Washington's Iran strategy and flatly denied any causal link between Trump's military announcements and his own critical remarks, stating plainly: "there is no connection."

Despite the turbulence, Merz struck a notably resolute tone on the future of transatlantic relations. "I'm not giving up on working with Donald Trump either," he said, acknowledging the US president's divergent worldview while refusing to abandon the alliance framework. "But that doesn't change the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are our most important partners in the North Atlantic Alliance."

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