It is a trip that had been planned for a long time, but under very different circumstances: This Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will depart for Washington. On Tuesday, he will meet with US President Donald Trump amid an escalating conflict in Iran and the Middle East.
German politicians scrambled to interpret the situation in the Middle East this weekend. Conservative voices in government urged caution in assessing the strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran.
Skip next section Hundreds of German flights canceled over Iran war March 2, 2026 Hundreds of German flights canceled over Iran war Display boards at showing flights to Dubai and Doha at Frankfurt AirportImage: Florian Wiegand/dpa/picture alliance More than 450 flights have been canceled at Germany's major airports up to March 5 as a result of the conflict in
Components from German manufacturers have been found in Russian drones attacking Ukrainian cities. German media reported on this in January, citing the latest Geran-5 attack drone in particular. The television broadcaster ntv and later other German media reported that transistors made by the German company Infineon Technologies were found in a Geran-5, along with other foreign-made components.
Tuesday is town meeting day in Vermont. Municipalities in New England and elsewhere are increasingly grappling with major national and international issues at the local level.
FlyDubai planes are parked at Dubai International Airport on Monday. Many airlines, including several in the Persian Gulf — including those based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar and others — have curtailed commercial flights for safety reasons following the expanding U.S. and Israeli bombardment in Iran.
Politics Published March 2, 2026 last updated March 2, 2026 India's opposition Congress Party has condemned the Modi government's response to the killing of Iran's Khamenei. Meanwhile, in a call with Israel's Netanyahu, Modi urged an early end to hostilities. DW has the latest.
Argentinian President Javier Milei praised his relationship with the US President Donald Trump in an address to parliament on Sunday. He said that he wants to make the "strategic alliance" with the US a "state policy."
German politicians scrambled to interpret the situation in the Middle East this weekend. Conservative voices in government urged caution in assessing the strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran.
Skip next section Saudi refinery targeted as drones intercepted March 2, 2026 Saudi refinery targeted as drones intercepted An oil refinery on Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast has been targeted in an attack as Iran launched a new wave of strikes across the region.
Pakistani jets near Kabul were targeted by Afghan Taliban on Sunday, with blasts and gunfire rocking the city, officials said. The explosions in Afghanistan's capital come as the most recent clashes between the two countries entered a fourth day. The current escalation marks the heaviest cross-border fighting in years, raising fears of a protracted conflict.
Three US service members were killed and several others injured as part of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. Several others sustained "minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty," the statement reads.