Merz Reports Good Call With Trump After 5,000-Troop Germany Withdrawal Threat

4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 15

Friedrich Merz said he had a “good phone call” with Donald Trump on Friday, signaling a thaw after a clash over the Iran war.
A German official said Merz initiated the call to clear the air after he said Iran had “humiliated” the United States, remarks that angered Trump.
The dispute appeared to help trigger a Pentagon announcement that 5,000 of the 35,000 U.S. troops in Germany would be withdrawn.
Merz said the two agreed Iran must return to negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz must reopen and Tehran must not obtain nuclear weapons.
The call also covered Ukraine peace efforts and preparations for a NATO summit in Turkey, even as Merz publicly criticized the U.S. social climate and job prospects.

With the Strait of Hormuz closed, are US auto tariffs a tool to force European action on Iran?

Will a single phone call mend an alliance fractured by troop withdrawals and trade threats?

As US troops exit Germany, is Europe facing its biggest security crisis since the Cold War?