Berlin, Germany – A diplomatic rift between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war on Iran has escalated into a broader debate about Europe’s transatlantic ties – while Berlin pushes to become the continent’s leading military power.Merz sparked controversy last week when he said Washington had been “humiliated” by its failure to reach a deal with Tehran and accused Trump of having “no strategy.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe remarks triggered a heated discussion that has intensified since Trump announced the redeployment of 5,000 US troops from German soil.According to media reports, the withdrawal will include a Stryker Brigade currently stationed in Vilseck, Bavaria – a redeployment that had first been mentioned by Trump in 2020.The announcement comes as Germany dispatched a minesweeper and a replenishment vessel to the Mediterranean on Monday, bound for the Strait of Hormuz. While Berlin has said the vessels would only take part in operations to clear the narrow shipping lane after hostilities ended, the United States has relied heavily on bases and military infrastructure across Germany throughout its campaign in Iran.Merz – a former senior adviser at BlackRock who has long been seen as closely aligned with US interests – said the troop withdrawal came as no surprise. The defence ministry described the move as “foreseeable”.Republican politicians Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers, chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, expressed “grave concern” over the withdrawal. Advertisement The move would return troop numbers roughly to levels last seen before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, meaning the operational impact may be limited. More consequential, analysts say, could be a separate decision to cancel plans to stat …
