• Source:JND
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The US Defense Department is planning to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. This development comes after an altercation between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. On Friday, Trump slammed Merz, who suggested that the US has been humiliated by Iran's negotiators.

Sharing a social media post on Thursday, Trump asserted Merz was "doing a terrible job" and had "problems of all kinds," including on immigration and energy. Trump has also suggested pulling US troops from Italy and Spain.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claimed the order had come from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"This decision follows a thorough review of the Department's force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground," he said. "We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months."

Donald Trump, for a long time, has been criticising its NATO allies over their refusal to participate in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked whether he is also thinking of withdrawing troops from Italy and Spain, Trump said, "I probably will—look, why shouldn't I?" "Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible," he added, criticising them for their response to the war in Iran.

"In all cases they said, 'I don't want to get involved.'"

What Did Merz Say?

While talking to the university students earlier this week, Merz said, "The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result," he said.

"The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilled at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result," he said.

He further said that the "entire nation" was being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership.

Trump’s Hard Hitting Post

Trump then reacted to Merz's statements on Truth Social. Sharing a post, he said, "It's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and "doesn't know what he's talking about." "No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both economically and otherwise!" the post read.

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