Sawt Falasteen - Merz seeks early end to Iran war in Trump meeting

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," Merz said.

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."

"We are hoping that the Israeli and the American army are doing the right things to bring this to an end and to have, really, a new government in place that is coming back to peace and freedom," Merz said.

Trump, however, has backtracked on calls for regime change after the killing of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, instead focusing on militarily degrading Iran.

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.

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.

But Trump praised Merz, saying that he was more in line with him than long-serving chancellor Angela Merkel, whom Trump once again berated for her welcome to migrants.

Germany, France and Britain have 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."

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.

Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression on Ukraine, Merz told Trump: "There are too many bad guys in this world, actually."

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."

Merz has 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.

P.AbuBaker--SF-PST