US-Germany spat over Iran intensifies as Hegseth orders troop removal

The spat between the US and Germany over the war on Iran is intensifying after Washington announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from German soil. 

Responding to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's order on Friday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday that "Europeans must take responsibility for our own security".

Pistorius said the US move to withdraw troops from Germany, its largest European base, had been expected.

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have been sparring all week over the war on Iran. 

Merz has said that the US is being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership and has suggested that Tehran is outwitting the White House at the negotiating table. 

The German leader has criticised the US for entering the war without a clear plan, saying that this complicates efforts to bring the conflict to an end.

“The problem with conflicts like these is always the same: it’s not just about getting in; you also have to get out. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,” he said last week.

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