Merz: US is Germany's most important NATO partner, shares Iran nuclear goal

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said late Sunday that "the United States is and will remain Germany's most important partner" in NATO. "We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons," he said on X. Merz's remarks come amid tensions between Washington and Berlin after he recently criticized the US for lacking an "exit strategy" in the Iran war.

Tomahawk missiles

Merz said Sunday that the United States will not station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, stressing that the decision was not linked to his criticism of President Donald Trump. "The Americans don't have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind," Merz told public broadcaster ARD.

US troop reduction

On Saturday, Trump said the US plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany, following an earlier decision to scale back forces in the country. "We're going to cut way down and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000," he told reporters in Florida.

Iran war context

The exchanges come amid a fragile US-Iran ceasefire mediated by Pakistan. Trump recently said Iran's proposal to end the war was "not acceptable," while Iran reviews the US response to its 14-point plan. A US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, with CENTCOM reporting 49 vessels redirected.