Merz: "United States is being humiliated by Iranian leaders"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Iran is "humiliating" the United States through its negotiating tactics, a remark that could deepen divisions in transatlantic relations.

Speaking on April 27 during an event with school students in Marsberg, Merz said Iran is negotiating with the United States “very skillfully,” forcing the American delegation to travel to Islamabad and return without results, Caliber.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.

In his words, the result is that an “entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”

Bloomberg described the chancellor’s comments as “unusually candid” and warned that they could deepen the split in transatlantic relations.

The agency noted that the statement reflects a reassessment of relations with US President Donald Trump among several European leaders.

Efforts to build closer ties, it said, have given way to a more sober view of the American president, who has repeatedly questioned NATO’s role, supported European far-right movements, and threatened to seize Greenland, a Danish territory.

Although Merz’s visit to the White House in March was marked by friendly exchanges between the two leaders, the chancellor has since become more critical of the US campaign against Iran, particularly amid rising energy prices that are negatively affecting Germany’s economy, Bloomberg added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov