UPDATE 1-Trump hits back at German chancellor after Iran criticism

‌President Donald Trump ​criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran on ‌Tuesday, a day after Merz said the Iranians were humiliating the United States in talks to end it. "The ‌Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for ‌Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. Merz ⁠has said Iran must not have a nuclear weapon.

U.S. ‌President Donald Trump ​criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran on ‌Tuesday, a day after Merz said the Iranians were humiliating the United States in talks to end it.

"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 in a Truth Social post, mischaracterizing ⁠Merz's ​position. Merz ⁠has said Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. Merz said ⁠on Monday that Iran's leadership was humiliating the United States ​and getting U.S. officials to travel to Pakistan and ⁠then leave without results, in an unusually pointed rebuke over the ⁠conflict.

Merz ​also said he did not see what exit strategy the U.S. was pursuing in the ⁠Iran war - comments that underlined deep divisions between Washington and ⁠its European ⁠NATO allies, which had already been festering over Ukraine and other issues.