German Chancellor Friedrich Merz refrained from publicly lecturing US President Donald Trump on international law during his White House visit, despite widespread expert consensus that the US‑Israeli strike on Iran violated international law. Merz later described a “dilemma,” saying that international legal measures have failed to hold Iran’s leadership to account in recent decades. He has lamented what he sees as the erosion of a rules‑based international order and multilateralism.
Observers say Merz’s restraint was motivated less by legal judgment than by a desire to soothe transatlantic ties. Henning Hoff of the German Council on Foreign Relations told DW that Merz did not want to openly antagonize or contradict Trump during the visit.
Since the attack, Merz has adopted a stance of quiet tolerance: he voices reservations but stops short of condemnation. This pattern is consistent with prior responses. After the US action in Venezuela and the abduction of Nicolás Maduro in January, Merz described the legal situation as “complicated,” even though many saw that intervention as breaching international law. And following last year’s Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, Merz remarked that Israel was doing the “dirty work” for others.
Hoff argued that the chancellor has a situational relationship with international law — applying it selectively depending on political priorities.
Reactions across German politics have been mixed and sometimes sharp. Within the governing coalition — the CDU/CSU and the SPD — SPD foreign affairs spokesperson Adis Ahmetovic reiterated the goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but warned that did not justify “a war with unforeseeable consequences for the entire region.”
Opposition figures were more critical. Longtime Green politician Jürgen Trittin said opposing international law now would undermine Germany’s fundamental security interests. Left Party MP Lea Reisner called Merz’s meeting with Trump “undignified” and largely symbolic: she accused the chancellor of allowing himself to be paraded as a background actor who offered only token remarks while Trump dominated the stage.
From the conservative side, CSU MP Alexander Hoffmann stressed the importance of international law but argued it “must not become a safeguard clause for terrorist regimes,” and emphasized showing “unequivocal solidarity with the US.”
Tino Chrupalla, co‑leader of the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD), broke with the US‑Israeli action and criticized Trump, calling him a president who began as a peacemaker but risks becoming a “war president.” His remarks drew pushback from pro‑Trump elements within his party. Several AfD MPs are in Washington this week for meetings with Republican officials.
A year earlier, Merz’s tone had been different. He was visibly taken aback when Trump publicly humiliated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and at the time pledged to prioritize strengthening Europe to achieve greater strategic independence from the US. Henning Hoff believes Merz still aims to build European — especially German — defensive and deterrent capabilities after years of neglect, so Europe could deter aggression from actors such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia without US backing. But Hoff says Merz recognizes that this transformation will take time. In the interim, Merz appears to be hedging by aligning with the Trump administration while avoiding policy choices he fears might harm the German economy.
That approach has strained relations with some European partners. The UK and Spain took note that Merz remained largely silent while Trump criticized them for hesitating or refusing to permit use of their military bases for operations against Iran. Merz later said he raised their positions privately with Trump, but Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called Merz’s public conduct a betrayal. Albares said he had expected the same solidarity Spain once showed Denmark when faced with Trump’s tariff threats and talk of seizing Greenland, and he suggested neither Angela Merkel nor Olaf Scholz would have acted the same way.
Critics warn Germany’s stance risks accusations of double standards from Russia, China and countries in the Global South. Observers note Berlin treated Trump’s threats concerning Greenland as a red line for Denmark, yet seems more permissive regarding strikes on Iran. Hoff described it as a dangerous development for German and European foreign policy to dilute commitments to international law and the rules‑based order, saying the charge of double standards cannot be dismissed.
Merz’s visit was his third to the White House since taking office. He has often claimed that Europeans must be self‑confident in dealings with Trump, but during the joint public appearance he mostly remained silent, allowing the president to dominate the interaction.
This article was originally written in German.