Trump Mulls US Troop Cut in Germany Amid Iran War Tensions

Trump made the remarks in a social media post on Wednesday (Local time) following a recent report by The Wall Street Journal that his administration is considering punishing some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that he perceives as unhelpful to the United States during the war in Iran.

"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," he wrote on Truth Social.

More than 36,000 US troops are known to be stationed in Germany.

Trump's social media post came after signs of tension with Germany over the Iran war emerged, reports Yonhap news agency.

During a meeting with students on Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly said that the Iranian leadership is in the process of "humiliating" the US and that Washington does not appear to have a convincing strategy in the negotiations with Tehran.

After Merz's comment, Trump hit back, claiming on Truth Social that the German chancellor thought it was "OK" for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and that he "doesn't know what he's talking about."

Later on Wednesday, Merz said his personal relationship with US President Donald Trump remains good despite a recent exchange of sharp rhetoric regarding the war in Iran.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday (local time), Merz said he and Trump remain "on good speaking terms," adding that he simply had doubts from the beginning regarding the actions initiated with the war.

Merz called for a swift resolution to the conflicts in Iran, as Germany and Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences of the conflicts, reports Xinhua news agency.

In the midst of the war against the Islamic Republic, Trump repeatedly criticised NATO members for not acceding to his call for naval assistance to help secure the crucial Strait of Hormuz that Iran has effectively blocked with retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

Trump called NATO "cowards," saying the US will "remember" its members' reluctance to support the US military campaign against Iran.

He has also rebuked South Korea for being "not helpful" to the US, noting that America has put its troops "in harm's way" in the Asian country "right next to" North Korea's "nuclear force."

Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as a key element of deterrence against growing North Korean threats. Seoul and Washington have been working on "modernising" the bilateral alliance, which analysts say could lead to an adjustment in the US force posture on the Korean Peninsula.

- IANS