Donald Trump was left humiliated after a key NATO leader launched a furious attack on America’s plans for a war with Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed that the US “apparently went into this war without any strategy”. He said during a discussion with students at a high school in Marsberg in the Sauerland region: “Especially since the Iranians obviously negotiate very skillfully – or not negotiate very skillfully. The whole country is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
During the discussion, Mr Merz also said: “Because the Iranians are clearly stronger than before, and the Americans clearly lack a concrete strategy in negotiations.”
He also said that these are the reasons why “it has now become even more difficult to end the conflict”.
This is not the first time Mr Trump and his NATO allies have seen differing opinions. Earlier this month, Mr Trump even said he was open to reconsidering US membership in the alliance after the conflict, as he said: “Oh yes, I would say (it) is beyond reconsideration. I’ve never been seduced by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too.”
Mr Trump also rebuked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for refusing to get involved in a US-Israeli war against Iran and suggested the Royal Navy was unprepared.
He then said he had “very disappointing” NATO allies by setting a deadline to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which was considered an “ultimatum” by European diplomats.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said, “The UK position is clear and it is not going to change… This has been the long-standing position. There has been no change to it and that position will remain.”
An internal Pentagon email laid out options for Donald Trump’s administration to punish NATO allies if they refuse to join US-Israeli strikes against Iran. The memo, first reported by Reuters, suggested reevaluating US diplomatic support for “imperial possessions” such as the Falklands. However, the Foreign Office is treating a possible change in the US position as a “hypothetical scenario”.
