Sawt Falasteen - Germany's Merz meets Trump for talks eclipsed by Iran war

The long-scheduled White House meeting was supposed to focus on the war in Ukraine and rocky EU-US trade relations, part of a wider effort to salvage frayed transatlantic ties.

But Trump's signal that airstrikes against Iran could go on for weeks has upended the global agenda, with Tehran striking back against US bases and allies in the region.

Merz arrived at the White House by a side entrance, with none of the flag-bearing fanfare often accorded to foreign leaders outside the West Wing.

Merz, a harsh critic of the Islamic republic's leadership, said Berlin shared the Iranian people's "relief" that the "mullah regime is coming to an end".

Yet he declined to "lecture" the United States and Israel on the legality of the Iran strikes aimed at ending Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.

Germany, France and Britain have also said they will only assist their allies in the Gulf with "defensive action" against Iran.

That drew condemnation from US officials of a "soft" response to "Operation Epic Fury" -- potentially putting Merz in the firing line for Trump's ire.

France's President Emmanuel Macron said later that eight European countries had agreed to join his plan to use France's nuclear stockpile to bolster security on the continent -- with Germany a "key partner in this effort."

- 'Repair and revive' trust? -

Much divides Merz, 70, a Christian Democrat with multilateral instincts, and Trump, 79, a property tycoon and former reality TV star.

But Merz has managed to maintain cordial ties with Trump and escape his wrath or ridicule.

He has done so in part by meeting a key Trump demand for stepped up defense spending among European NATO members, with huge increases in German investments.

But Merz has at times pushed back against the mercurial US president, especially over Ukraine, and often insists that Europe must become more sovereign in times of geopolitical upheaval.

At February's Munich Security Conference, Merz noted the "deep rift" between the traditional allies and urged America to "repair and revive transatlantic trust together".

During their first White House meeting last June, Merz had also challenged Trump to increase pressure on Moscow to end the "terrible" Ukraine war.

Trump at the time called Merz "a very good man to deal with" and wryly said he could be "difficult" -- a comment that was widely read as approving rather than critical.

Merz also played up Trump's German family roots, presenting him with his grandfather's German birth certificate and inviting him to visit his ancestral homeland.

When it comes to Trump's tariffs blitz, Merz will outline the EU's "coordinated position", a spokesman said, adding that "businesses need planning security, and that applies on both sides of the Atlantic".

Germany's Mechanical Engineering lobby group urged him, "despite the current focus on the Iran war" to "use his good relationship with US President Trump to achieve a comprehensive and reliable tariff agreement between the EU and the USA".

B.Khalifa--SF-PST