WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – Three days after the attack on Iran by the USA and Israel, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) arrived in Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House. One topic will clearly be the focus: the attacks by the USA and Israel on Iran, which have now escalated into a war that has spread across a large part of the Middle East region. It is the Chancellor’s second visit to the White House since he took office ten months ago. The first one was extremely harmonious, but this time it will be more difficult.
The meeting: First the Oval Office, then lunch
Since Trump became president, the receptions of foreign state guests in the Oval Office – the president’s office in the West Wing of the White House, which is decorated with all sorts of gold – have been notorious. Trump humiliated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of cameras and also paraded South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Merz, on the other hand, got off pretty well last June. Trump called him a “respected” and “good man” and promised: “We will have a great relationship with your country”
The meeting this morning (local time, 5:15 p.m. German time) is scheduled to last 30 minutes in the Oval Office. However, experience shows that it can take significantly longer. Afterwards a lunch together is planned.
Trump and Iran: “We’re beating the crap out of them”
The clearly dominant main topic will be the war against Iran. According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the United States wants to destroy the Iranian missile threat and its navy. The country should not have nuclear weapons. Some of the Iranian leadership has already been killed and military bases, nuclear facilities and weapons systems have been destroyed.
“We’re beating the crap out of them,” Trump said on Monday. He wants to end the war in four to five weeks, but also says it could take longer. “We haven’t even started hitting hard yet,” he told CNN. “The big wave is coming soon.”
Trump and Hegseth have complained about a lack of support from European allies. Trump was disappointed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who allowed the use of British bases by the US Army too late. Hegseth criticized the “traditional allies” as a whole, who appear outraged and “hesitate and hesitate when using force.”
Merz and Iran: “This is not without risk”
So things could get uncomfortable for Merz. Although he expressed understanding for the attacks, he did not clearly support them. Although he refrained from criticizing and instructing the two important allies, the USA and Israel, he also warned: “This is not without risk.” It is not known what escalation the harsh Iranian counterattacks would lead to in the region. It is also unclear whether military strikes from outside can actually make political change from within possible. The Chancellor referred to the US interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which did not achieve the desired result.
In January, Merz himself predicted an end to the Iranian leadership and very clearly supported the military strikes against Iran last year. “This is the dirty work that Israel does for all of us,” he said on ZDF at the time.
What other topics there are
The state of relations between the USA and Europe was recently seen at the Munich Security Conference. Merz described the “gap” between the two sides quite mercilessly – even if he also advocated a new start.
There are some concrete topics with potential for conflict that he could still discuss with Trump – if there is time besides Iran.
The tariff dispute between the US and the EU has come to a head again after the US Supreme Court banned Trump from imposing tariffs on imports of goods from many countries, citing an emergency law. The US President then announced that he now wanted to take other approaches to continue enforcing his tariffs.
And then there is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Efforts to end the war through US mediation are not getting off the ground. The US’s European allies are not involved in the direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Merz would like to change that. He said before his departure that he would like to see “even closer transatlantic cooperation” in the negotiation process. And he called for more pressure and sanctions to get Russia to compromise./mfi/DP/zb
