President Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, on March 3, 2026. MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, March 3, backed the aims of the US-Israeli war on Iran but called for its early end, voicing fear for the global economy, as he visited the White Hosue. Merz, who has been among Europe's more hawkish voices on Iran, became the first foreign leader to see Trump after the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on Saturday.
"This is, of course, damaging our economies. This is true for the oil prices, and this is true for the gas prices as well," Merz told reporters in the Oval Office as he met Trump. "So that's the reason why we all hope that this war will come to an end as soon as possible."
But Merz, who had criticized Iran's ruling clerics sharply over their deadly crackdown on protests in January, said that he and Trump "are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Tehran away."
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