President Donald Trump reveals that the United States examines options to reduce troop numbers in Germany, amid rising tensions with Berlin over the Iran conflict.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump posts on Truth Social.
Exchange with German Chancellor
Trump’s announcement follows his sharp criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday regarding the war in Iran. Merz had stated the previous day that Iranian negotiators humiliate the United States in talks aimed at ending the conflict.
Addressing students in Marsberg, Merz comments, “The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result.”
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” Merz adds.
NATO Disputes and Strait of Hormuz
The administration repeatedly condemns NATO allies for withholding support in the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, including failure to deploy naval forces to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismisses UK- and France-led efforts to protect the waterway as “silly,” stating they should pursue “less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat.”
“Europe needed the strait much more than we do” and views it as “much more their fight than ours,” Hegseth asserts.
Direct Warnings to Iran
Trump urges Iran to “get smart” on a nuclear deal, posting an image of himself wielding an assault rifle before an exploding hillside, captioned “no more Mr Nice Guy.”
“Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear (sic) deal. They better get smart soon!” Trump writes on Truth Social.
The president defends the US-Israeli offensive as essential to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Remarks After Royal Visit
Trump criticizes the UK for refusing to join strikes on Tehran and labels Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as weak and indecisive.
After King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday, Trump suggests the monarch supports US efforts. Following Charles’s speech to Congress emphasizing NATO strength and Ukraine aid, Trump tells reporters from the Oval Office:
“The King is fantastic. We spent a lot of time together. We had a lot of talk. We talked about this also, and he loves his country, and he’s a great king, and he’s a great friend of mine.”
“And I think if he were doing that, if that were up to him, he would have probably helped us with Iran,” Trump continues. “I think he’s a phenomenal representative for his country. I think the people in the United Kingdom should be proud.”
At a white-tie state banquet, Trump shares details of private discussions: “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever – Charles agrees with me, even more than I do – we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”
Buckingham Palace responds through a spokesperson: “The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”
