German Chancellor Friedrich Merz avoided publicly rebuking US President Donald Trump over the US‑Israeli strike on Iran during his recent White House visit, even as many legal experts judged the attack to have violated international law. Merz acknowledged a “dilemma,” saying that legal mechanisms have failed to hold Iran’s leadership to account over past decades, and has expressed concern about what he sees as the weakening of a rules‑based international order and multilateral institutions.
Observers say Merz’s restraint was driven less by legal calculation than by a wish to preserve transatlantic relations. Henning Hoff of the German Council on Foreign Relations told DW that the chancellor preferred not to openly contradict or antagonize Trump while in Washington.
Since the strike, Merz has taken a posture of quiet toleration: he has registered reservations but stopped short of condemning the action. That pattern echoes earlier responses. After US involvement in Venezuela and the reported abduction attempt of Nicolás Maduro in January, Merz described the legal situation as “complicated,” even though many observers considered that intervention unlawful. After last year’s Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, he also suggested Israel had been doing the “dirty work” on behalf of others.
Hoff argues that Merz applies international law selectively, adapting legal rhetoric to suit shifting political priorities.
Responses across Germany’s political spectrum have been mixed and sometimes sharp. Within the governing coalition, SPD foreign‑policy spokesman Adis Ahmetovic reiterated the aim of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons but warned that this goal did not justify a war with unpredictable consequences for the region.
Opposition voices were more critical. Veteran Green politician Jürgen Trittin warned that abandoning international‑law principles would damage Germany’s core security interests. Left Party MP Lea Reisner called the chancellor’s White House appearance “undignified” and largely symbolic, accusing Merz of playing a background role while Trump dominated the stage.
From the conservative CSU, MP Alexander Hoffmann stressed the importance of upholding international law but argued it must not be misused as a protective shield for terrorist regimes, urging unequivocal solidarity with the United States.
Tino Chrupalla, co‑leader of the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD), criticized the US‑Israeli action and faulted Trump for shifting from a peacemaker image toward a more belligerent stance — comments that generated pushback from pro‑Trump elements inside his party. Several AfD MPs are in Washington this week for meetings with Republican officials.
Merz’s demeanor in Washington also contrasts with his reaction last year when he appeared astonished by Trump’s public humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; at that time Merz said Europe must strengthen itself and pursue greater strategic independence from the United States. Henning Hoff believes Merz still aims to build up German and European defensive and deterrent capabilities so Europe can deter threats such as those from Russia without relying solely on US support. But Hoff adds that such a transformation will take time, and in the meantime Merz appears to be hedging — aligning with the Trump administration while avoiding policy moves he fears could harm Germany’s economy.
That balancing act has strained relations with some European partners. The United Kingdom and Spain noted Merz’s muted public response while Trump criticized them for hesitating or refusing to let US forces use their bases for operations against Iran. Merz later said he had raised those governments’ concerns privately with Trump, but Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares publicly called Merz’s conduct a betrayal and suggested that neither Angela Merkel nor Olaf Scholz would have reacted the same way.
Critics warn that Germany’s stance exposes it to charges of double standards from Russia, China and countries in the Global South. Observers point out that Berlin treated Trump’s earlier threats over Greenland as a red line for Denmark yet appears more permissive toward strikes on Iran. Hoff described the trend as dangerous for German and European foreign policy, saying accusations of inconsistency cannot be dismissed.
Merz’s visit to the White House was his third since taking office. Although he speaks of the need for Europeans to deal with Trump from a position of self‑confidence, the joint public appearance saw him mostly silent while the US president dominated the interaction.
This article was originally written in German.