German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that "the United States is and will remain Germany's most important partner" in NATO.
"We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons," he posted X.
The remarks come amid tensions between Washington and Berlin after Merz recently criticised the US for lacking an "exit strategy" in the Iran war, while saying the Americans were "humiliated" by the Iranian regime during negotiations.
Merz said on Sunday that the US will not station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, stressing that the decision was not linked to his criticism of President Donald Trump.
“Scaling back forces”
"The Americans don't have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind," Merz told public broadcaster ARD.
On Saturday, Trump said the US plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany, following an earlier decision to scale back forces.
"We're going to cut way down and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000," he told reporters in Florida when asked about the move.
