Trump attacks German chancellor Merz over Iran remarks; UAE quits OPEC amid Hormuz crisis
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after Merz said the U.S. was being "humiliated" by Iran. The United Arab Emirates announced it is leaving OPEC from 1 May, as the Strait of Hormuz blockade disrupts global oil markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday attacked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over remarks in which Merz said the United States was being "humiliated" by Iran, as the United Arab Emirates announced it is leaving OPEC from 1 May amid a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted global oil markets.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!" Trump added: "If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!"
Merz, speaking to students in Marsberg, said the U.S. was being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership as talks between the two parties have stalled. "The Americans clearly have no strategy," Merz said. "The problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq. So this whole affair is, as I said, ill-considered, to say the least." He added: "The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result."
Trump also claimed without evidence in a Truth Social post that Iran has "just informed" Washington that they are in a "state of collapse." Trump said Iran wants the U.S. to open the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible" as they try to "figure out" their "leadership situation," something he said he believes is possible.
The United Arab Emirates announced it is leaving OPEC and OPEC+ from 1 May. The UAE energy ministry said leaving OPEC gives "greater flexibility" to respond to a "new energy age" in line with its "long-term strategic and economic vision." The UAE joined OPEC in 1967.
A four-day Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed that only 34% of Americans approve of Trump's performance, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted from 15 to 20 April. Only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living, down from 25% in the prior poll.
In Lebanon, Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said "Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Our presence in the areas by our northern border serves one purpose: protecting our citizens." The Israeli military ordered residents of 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately to the Sidon area, according to a social media post by the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee. Lebanon's environment minister accused Israel of committing "an act of ecocide" in the foreword to a report detailing the harm done to the country's natural resources during the invasion of 2023 to 2024.
A superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov was able to transit the blockaded Strait of Hormuz after undergoing maintenance in Dubai because neither Iran nor the United States objected, a source close to Mordashov said on Tuesday. The vessel, worth over $500 million, sailed on Saturday through the waterway where traffic has been severely restricted since February.