US President Donald Trump received German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this Tuesday (3) at the White House, during which they spoke about the situation in Iran and other issues related to their common agenda.
The American leader harshly criticized European allies during this afternoon’s press conference. One of the most scathing was directed at Spain, which banned American troops from using its military bases for war with Iran. Trump even suggested that he will impose a trade embargo on the European country due to the decision.
The American leader stated that “some European nations have helped [na guerra]while others do not.” He cited Germany as one of the “friendly” nations.
While answering questions from journalists, the US president said for the first time that the launch of the military operation against Iran came after indications that Tehran would “strike first”. Trump was asked by the press whether Israel had pressured Washington to start the war and he responded negatively.
The Republican president once again extolled the power of the US Armed Forces, which, according to him, destroyed Iran’s “air defenses, Air Force, Navy and much of the leadership” during the initial attacks.
In the short space of time he had to speak during the press conference, the German Chancellor said that his government is “in tune” with President Trump regarding the overthrow of the Iranian regime, but called for a de-escalation of the conflict.
“We hope this war ends as soon as possible,” Merz said. “So we hope that the Israeli and American armies are doing what is right to put an end to this and that, in fact, a new government will take power, bringing back peace and freedom,” he continued. The German leader is the first foreign official to meet Trump in person since the start of the war.
President minimizes chances of crown prince taking over government in Iran
Asked about prospects for future leadership in Iran, Trump downplayed the possibility of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi taking over the country, saying he would prefer someone from within Iran to take command.
“Some people like him, and we haven’t given it much thought,” Trump said. “It seems to me that someone from within would be more appropriate,” he added.
The White House leader assessed that, although “he seems like a very nice person”, it was more likely to choose a “popular” candidate, “someone who is there [no Irã]”.
Trump assesses “worst case scenario” of war with Iran
A reporter asked President Trump what the worst-case scenario would be regarding Iran. According to him, “the worst-case scenario would be that we do all of this and then someone just as bad as the last one [líder supremo Ali Khamenei] take power.”
Then, the American leader was asked who would be the ideal name to take over the Iranian government. Trump said bluntly that “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”
The president made a brief comparison of the current military operation with that in Venezuela, which removed dictator Nicolás Maduro, but left the Chavista regime in power. He then clarified that the situation in Iran is completely different from military action in South America.
Trump also spoke about the prospects for an increase in the price of oil. He admitted that, at first, this will be inevitable. “We may have oil prices a little high for a while, but as soon as this ends, those prices will come down,” he said.
