Europe Looks for an End to Iran Conflict as NATO Seeks Unity, Says Merz

STOCKHOLM: Europe still stands behind a strong and united NATO alliance despite rising tensions with the U.S. over the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Friedrich Merz said.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm, Merz stressed that Europe remains determined to preserve the transatlantic alliance while working toward ending the war and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“We want to keep this alliance alive for the future,” Merz said, pointing out that differences between Europe and the United States have grown in recent months.
Ties between Washington and several European NATO members have become increasingly frayed over disagreements on defence spending, immigration policies and the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran launched earlier this year. Germany and other European countries did not support the offensive, widening the rift in the alliance.
There are differences, but the same goal is to have regional stability and to avoid nuclear escalation in Iran,” Merz said.

“The end goal is to bring this conflict to an end and ensure that Iran cannot produce nuclear weapons,” he said. “That’s a shared objective between Europe and America.”
Tensions escalated after former U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Germany after Merz called Iran “humiliating” the United States. In reaction, Trump is said to have ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from Germany and to have cancelled plans to deploy long-range Tomahawk missiles in Germany.

But despite the differences, Merz said that Europe still appreciates the U.S. military support and cooperation in NATO.
“We are still very interested in having the American military on our side,” he said, adding that the strength of the alliance is a matter of “unity of purpose” more than troop numbers alone.

“Nordic countries are also playing an ever-greater role within NATO,” Merz said. “Sweden and Finland are reinforcing the European pillar of NATO.”
At the same time, European countries are raising military spending sharply amid fears of perceived Russian threats. Earlier in the day, Merz warned that Russia is an “imminent danger” to Europe.

The German leader also said he was disappointed by reports that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had attended Moscow’s Victory Day parade with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he planned to raise the issue directly with Fico.