US President Donald Trump welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the White House on Tuesday for talks as the U.S.-Israel war against Iran widened, sending oil prices to their highest level since 2024.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Merz said Germany and the United States shared a desire to get rid of Iran's current regime. "We are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Iran away, and we will talk about the day after," Merz said, adding he would also speak with Trump about Russia's war in Ukraine.
Trump said that the German leader has "been helping out." Trade deals would also be on the agenda for their meeting, he added.
The US president appreciated that Germany was letting US forces land in "certain areas," but stressed Washington was not seeking German troops.
On Sunday, Merz expressed no criticism of the U.S. airstrikes but stopped short of endorsing an operation which Trump's critics have said was undertaken without sufficient explanation and the required legal backing in international law.
Trump threatens Spain
Trump said he would cut off all trade with Spain after Madrid refused to allow U.S. forces to use its military bases for missions linked to the Iran strikes.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during his meeting with Merz, adding that he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with the country.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said.
His remarks came after the United States relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron bases in southern Spain after Spain’s Socialist government said the facilities could not be used for operations against Iran.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the decision was based on the existing bilateral agreement with Washington and international law, including the U.N. Charter.
Relations between Spain and the United States have been strained over migration policy and defence spending, with Madrid resisting calls to raise military expenditure to 5% of GDP. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also taken positions at odds with Washington, including barring vessels carrying weapons to Israel from docking in Spain and proposing legal action against social media platform owners over harmful online content.