U.S. is 'being humiliated by Iran,' says Germany's Merz, as Europe's patience wanes

US President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with Lebanon's Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israel's Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | The U.S. is being "humiliated" by the Iranian regime, Germany's chancellor has said, as disquiet among European leaders over a prolonged conflict in the Middle East gradually intensifies. "The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday. "An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible," Merz added , speaking to students in Marsberg in Germany. The comments were unexpected, but at least partially reflect frustration that the Iran conflict is undermining Merz's government's efforts to bolster Germany's flagging economy. Merz, like other European leaders, has faced criticism from President Donald Trump for a reluctance to participate in the war. Europe, already dealing with a four-year conflict on its doorstep in Ukraine, sees the military operation as a war of choice that they were not consulted on beforehand. Leaders are also worried that the U.S. …