Germany Goes Off Script, Declares War With US Over Iran? ‘Moronic Move To Trigger…’ | Big Shocker

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-22

[00:00:02]A stunning political shockwave is now rippling through the Western alliance, not from an adversary, but from a close US ally itself.

[00:00:14]Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has launched a rare and sharply worded public rebuke of both the United States and Israel over the ongoing Iran war, escalating tensions inside an already divided [music] transatlantic partnership.

[00:00:34]Calling the conflict avoidable, unnecessary, and a catastrophic [music] political mistake, Steinmeier delivered one of his most forceful critiques to date, a statement that is now reverberating across Washington, Brussels, and beyond.

[00:00:53]In remarks that risk deepening fractures within the Western block, the German President accused the United States of playing a central role in dismantling the nuclear framework that once helped contain tensions with Iran.

[00:01:12]Speaking during a landmark address marking the 75th anniversary of Germany's Foreign Office, Steinmeier directly pointed to the collapse of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, the JCPOA, as [music] the turning point that paved the way to today's volatile crisis in West Asia.

[00:01:33]And his criticism carried the weight of personal history.

[00:01:38]As Germany's former Foreign [music] Minister, Steinmeier was directly involved in negotiating the original deal, which aimed to prevent exactly the kind of escalation now unfolding.

[00:01:51]If the 2015 agreement [music] with Iran had been preserved, he warned, it would have been possible to prevent the consequences we are currently witnessing.

[00:02:04]But he did not stop there.

[00:02:07]Steinmeier went further, describing the current war as not just a strategic failure, but a politically disastrous mistake, and even a politically fatal error.

[00:02:20]His remarks now add fuel to a growing debate inside the Western Alliance, raising uncomfortable questions about responsibility, consequences, and whether a preventable conflict has now spiraled beyond [music] control.

[00:02:37]In another explosive remark, the German president questioned the US justification for military action, saying the US argument does [music] not hold water, and warning that the attacks amount to a violation of international law.

[00:02:55]The remarks are being seen as one of the strongest criticisms yet from a major Western leader against the US-Israeli campaign targeting Iran.

[00:03:06]This is not the first time Steinmeier criticized the US and Israel over the Iran war. In March, Steinmeier called the US war a politically disastrous mistake, but this time the timing is explosive.

[00:03:21]As the Middle East teeters on the edge of a wider regional war, divisions are now beginning to emerge inside the Western block itself.

[00:03:32]Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added more fuel to the fire after reportedly saying the United [music] States had been humiliated by the Iranian leadership.

[00:03:45]And as missiles continue to fly across the Middle East, one question is growing louder.

[00:03:52]Has the Western alliance begun to fracture over Iran?

[00:04:00]Miffed with NATO's non-cooperation during the Iran war, US President Donald Trump has begun what appears to be a punitive campaign against the US-led military block.

[00:04:16]Days after threatening to withdraw forces from NATO ally Germany, the Pentagon made a major announcement on May 1.

[00:04:26]The United States will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, signaling a widening rift between Trump and Western allies.

[00:04:35]Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the withdrawal will be completed over the next 6 to 12 months.

[00:04:43]Germany currently hosts around 35,000 active-duty US personnel, more than any other country in Europe.

[00:04:52]A senior Pentagon official added that the move would bring US troop levels in Europe back to pre-2022 levels before Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[00:05:05]Trump's decision follows remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the United States was being humiliated by Iran during peace negotiations.

[00:05:18]Merz also criticized Washington and Israel for launching strikes on Iran without consulting European allies.

[00:05:28]It is becoming quite clear that the Americans do not have any kind of real strategy.

[00:05:33]And um the fundamental problem with these types of conflicts is always the same. It is never just about how you get in, you also have to figure out how to get out.

[00:05:41]We saw that play out quite painfully in Afghanistan over 20 long years. We saw that same scenario unfold in Iraq as well. I don't see what strategic exit the Americans are choosing right now, especially since the Iranians are clearly um negotiating very skillfully, or rather very skillfully not negotiating, and um having the Americans travel to Islamabad only to have them leave again empty-handed.

[00:06:08]A whole nation is being humiliated by the leadership of the Iranian nation, and in particular by those who are commonly known as the Revolutionary Guards.

[00:06:19]After Maas's comment, Trump took to Truth Social, saying "The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany with a determination to be made over the next short period of time."

[00:06:34]The post sent shockwaves across Berlin.

[00:06:38]Maas tried damage control, but to no success.

[00:06:42]That all the the personal relationship between the American President and me is at least from my perspective remains good. Um I just had doubts from the beginning about what was started there with the Iraq war, and that is why I expressed that um we are suffering significantly in Germany and in Europe from the consequences of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This has immediate consequences for our energy supply. It has a massive impact on our economic performance, and therefore I urge that this conflict be resolved.

[00:07:19]We remain in good communication with each other. The Federal Foreign Minister returned from New York just this morning and reported on a wide variety of discussions there, including with the American government. So, we remain to put it in American English on good speaking terms.

[00:07:33]A Pentagon official later described Germany's rhetoric as inappropriate and unhelpful, adding that the President was right to respond.

[00:07:43]After Germany officials hinted at what could come next with the Trump administration potentially pushing Europe to take primary responsibility for its own security.

[00:07:54]It remains unclear whether further troop withdrawals will follow.

[00:07:59]In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly criticized European allies accusing them of failing to support Washington during the Iran conflict.

[00:08:10]On April 30th, he said, "Probably."

[00:08:13]>> [music] >> When asked if troop withdrawals could extend to Italy and Spain.

[00:08:18]A Reuters report also revealed internal Pentagon discussions outlining options to pressure NATO allies including suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing the US position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands.

[00:08:36]Last month, Spain's government refused to allow it's bases or air space to be used for strikes on Iran. The US maintains key military installations there including Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base.

[00:08:53]Trump has also clashed with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni accusing her of lacking courage after criticism linked to the Iran war.

[00:09:04]President Trump, how confident are you sir?

[00:09:06]>> Talk about possibly pulling out some troops of Germany.

[00:09:11]Would you be considering the same thing for Spain and Italy? I mean they haven't been exactly on board.

[00:09:16]>> Yeah, probably. Yeah, I probably will.

[00:09:18]Why should I You know, look, why shouldn't I?

[00:09:23]Italy has not been of any help to us.

[00:09:27]And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible.

[00:09:32]You know, it's NATO.

[00:09:33]It's not even the fact that they're bad.

[00:09:35]It's one thing if they said nicely or if they said, "Okay, we'll help." But the help's a little slow.

[00:09:43]But the level and we helped them with Ukraine. You know, they made a mess out of Ukraine, a total mess.

[00:09:50]And we helped them with Ukraine. Ukraine has nothing to do, you know, we have we're an ocean apart.

[00:09:57]And it's to do with them. It's like for them it's their front door. We helped them.

[00:10:01]And Biden gave them $350 billion, which was insane. [clears throat] It's one of the reasons the war went on.

[00:10:07]But uh when we needed them, they were not there. We have to remember that.

[00:10:14]And so if we ever have a big one, cuz we didn't need any help with Iran.

[00:10:18]We We had Iran right from the first day it was over. It was over.

[00:10:23]And now it's even more so. We're so locked and loaded we wanted to. But uh we didn't need to help. And to a certain extent I asked them I didn't need to help, but I said, "Yeah, we'd love to have you help."

[00:10:34]Because I wanted to see if they do it.

[00:10:37]And they in all cases they said, "We don't want to get involved." And you know, the amazing thing is they use the Strait of Hormuz, we don't. We don't use it. We don't need it.

[00:10:47]We have a lot of oil. What do you Well, wait a minute. Okay. And they use it, we don't.

[00:10:52]And you would have thought they would have said, "We would love to help you."

[00:10:56]But they didn't. Germany remains the largest hub of US military presence in Europe, hosting critical commands, including US European Command and Africa Command. In comparison, the US has around 12,000 troops in Italy and 10,000 in the United Kingdom. Many are stationed at Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern.

[00:11:21]The withdrawal would mark a significant shift, reducing America's military footprint in Europe to levels not seen since before the Ukraine war escalation in 2022.

[00:11:33]The previous administration had increased deployments to deter Russian aggression.

[00:11:39]Last fall, the Pentagon also withdrew a brigade from Romania.

[00:11:44]Globally, only Japan hosts a larger US troop presence than Germany.