After public tiff, German leader claims relationship with Trump is ‘as good as ever’

US President Donald Trump, right, greets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz during summit to support ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, October 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)
US President Donald Trump, right, greets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz during summit to support ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, October 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says his relationship with US President Donald Trump remains “as good as ever,” but that he has “had doubts from the very beginning about what was started there with the war in Iran.”

“We are suffering considerably in Germany and in Europe from the consequences of, for example, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Merz says. This hurts energy supplies and the economy, “and in that regard, I urge that this conflict be resolved.”

Trump yesterday attacked Merz on his Truth Social platform: “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Trump wrote.

Trump was responding to Merz’s comments on Monday, when the German Chancellor said the US was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized Washington’s lack of strategy in the war.

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