For a self-described Transatlanticist like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the language has been unusually blunt.

When President Donald Trump asked countries to join a global effort against Iran and deploy ships to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, whose near closure has held the global economy in a vice, he was rebuffed by some of America's closest allies.

Merz told German lawmakers on Wednesday he agreed Iran must not be allowed to pose a threat to its neighbors but expressed doubts about the rationale behind the U.S.-Israeli war.

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