Trump tells Germany's Merz to stay out of Iran nuclear talks

President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly rebuked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for commenting on U.S. efforts to neutralize Iran's nuclear program, telling him to address Germany's own domestic problems and help end the Russia-Ukraine war instead.

The rebuke, posted on Trump's Truth Social platform, signals widening friction between Washington and Berlin two months into the Iran conflict, with Trump insisting U.S.-led efforts to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat ultimately benefit Germany as well.

Trump posted his criticism of Merz on Truth Social, his preferred platform for official communications. "The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!" Trump said, according to The Korea Times.

The post came in response to statements Merz had made claiming that Iran was humiliating the U.S. in ongoing negotiations, a characterization Trump flatly rejected, saying Merz "didn't know what he was talking about."

Trump redirected attention to what he described as Germany's unresolved domestic challenges — immigration and energy policy — as well as the chancellor's record on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which Trump called "totally ineffective."

The public dispute underscores how the two-month-old Iran conflict has become a new fault line in transatlantic relations, with European leaders scrutinizing U.S. negotiating strategy while Washington pushes back against outside commentary on its diplomatic and military posture.

The Korea Times reported the exchange Thursday. No response from Merz or the German government had been issued at the time of publication.