Merz reiterates doubts over Iran war, claims relations with Trump remains good

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought Wednesday to play down tensions with the US over the Iran war, saying he was voicing long-held concerns about the prolonged conflict's severe impact on the economy.

"The personal relationship between the US president and myself remains, in my view, unchanged and good," Merz told reporters in Berlin, when asked about his increasingly critical stance on the Iran war and US President Donald Trump's social media attacks.

"I have had doubts from the very beginning about what was initiated with the war in Iran, and that is why I have expressed this," Merz said. "We in Germany and Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences, for example, of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."

The German leader said the prolonged US-Israeli conflict with Iran is having a direct impact on Europe and Germany's energy supplies, significantly cutting into economic performance.

"Therefore, I am urging that this conflict be resolved, and we are still engaged in productive discussions with one another," he said. "So, to put it in Anglo-American terms, we are still on good speaking terms."