German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on 2026-05-03 that he will not give up on working with US President Donald Trump, even as tensions rise over the Iran war and US policy toward Europe. [1]
Merz said a US announcement to pull 5,000 troops from bases in Germany did not surprise him and was not tied to the recent row over Iran. He also said a planned US deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany, first announced by former President Joe Biden, may now be delayed because Washington has depleted its weapons stocks in wars in Iran and Ukraine. [1]
"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship. Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump," Merz said in the interview. [1]
Trump has criticized European leaders, including Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy and Spain, over their roles in the Iran conflict. Merz said he and Trump still share the goal of stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons, even though they differ sharply on the war. [1]
Merz said the missile delay would be temporary and argued NATO cooperation and deterrence could continue without that specific US weapon system. "The Americans themselves don’t have enough at the moment. Objectively speaking, there is hardly any possibility from the US of relinquishing weapons systems of this kind," he said. [1]
The dispute follows Merz's comments on 2026-04-27 that Iran was humiliating Washington at the negotiating table, which drew angry reactions from the US side, including criticism from Trump. Merz then repeated on 2026-05-03 that he was not giving up on work with Trump despite the clashes. [1]
