Merz and Trump close their Iran-policy rift in phone call as the chancellor warns young Germans against moving to the United States

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump held a phone call on May 15 as Trump was flying back from China, the German government said, declaring an Iran-policy rift between the two leaders settled. 'Good phone call with Donald Trump on his way back from China,' Merz wrote on X. 'We agree: Iran must come to the negotiating table now. The Strait of Hormuz must be opened. Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.' Merz added that the two had also discussed a peaceful solution for Ukraine and coordinated their positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July. 'The US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO,' he said. German government sources said the Iran dispute had been raised only briefly and that Trump had described it as resolved.

The rift dated to late April, when Merz told schoolchildren in the Sauerland that 'the entire American nation is being humiliated by Iran's leadership' and that Washington had 'no strategy' for negotiations with Tehran. Trump retorted that Merz did not know what he was talking about, said the chancellor was 'doing a terrible job', described Germany as 'broken' and announced the withdrawal of thousands of US soldiers from the country — a decision the Pentagon has since formalised at 5,000 troops.

Trump's stop in Beijing produced parallel signals on Iran. He said Chinese President Xi Jinping had expressed willingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is largely blocked by Iran, and had assured him China would not provide Iran with military support. Trump and Xi also agreed that the strait must remain open for energy shipping.

The Merz–Trump call came on the same day the chancellor delivered a sharply worded message about the United States from a podium in Würzburg, where the 104th Catholic Day, organised by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), opened on May 14 with around 30,000 registered participants under the motto 'Hab Mut, steh auf!' ('Take heart, stand up'). In a discussion with young people, Merz said: 'I would not recommend my children today to go to the US to be educated and to work, simply because a social climate has suddenly developed there.' He added, to laughter from the audience: 'I am a great admirer of America's, but right now my admiration is not increasing.' He acknowledged a need to improve his own communication so that 'this message is better understood'. Hecklers interrupted parts of the appearance, but the audience applauded loudly.

The Catholic Day's opening had already produced a German rebuke of Trump on a different front. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier defended Pope Leo XIV against the US president's criticism, saying that 'when Pope Leo publicly calls for greater efforts for peace in a time of crises and wars, such an appeal deserves support, not criticism — not even from the most powerful in the world.' Trump had earlier accused the American-born pope of siding with 'a country that wants a nuclear weapon' over his Iran policy; Leo XIV has previously called the US treatment of migrants 'extremely disrespectful' and demanded a 'humane' approach.