US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany in dispute over Iran conflict

{"text":[[{"start":8.9,"text":"The Pentagon will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany amid a public spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over Washington’s Iran war."}],[{"start":20.3,"text":"The troops will be withdrawn within the next year, the defence department said. Germany hosts the largest number of US troops in Europe, along with several major American military installations."}],[{"start":32.9,"text":"US defence secretary Pete Hegseth “has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany”, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Friday. "}],[{"start":42.5,"text":"“This decision follows a thorough review of the department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theatre requirements and conditions on the ground,” he added. “We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to 12 months.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":56.7,"text":"The Iran conflict has strained transatlantic ties, with the US president accusing Washington’s European allies of not doing enough to support the war effort. The economic fallout is hitting Europe hard as energy prices have soared, triggering accusations from important US allies that they are bearing a heavy burden for a fight they did not support."}],[{"start":78.5,"text":"The economic fallout has become a full-blown domestic crisis in Germany."}],[{"start":83.55,"text":"The tensions between the US and Europe over the Iran war have been even more acute than they were last year over trade and have raised fears of an enduring strategic rift that could also threaten the Nato alliance."}],[{"start":97.64999999999999,"text":"The Pentagon’s decision came after Merz and Trump traded barbs over the war. Merz on Monday said the US was “being humiliated” by Iran, and that it went into the conflict “without any strategy” and had “no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either”."}],[{"start":115.35,"text":"Trump on Thursday launched a review of American troop levels in Germany and wrote on social media that Merz “should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine . . . and fixing his broken Country”. "}],[{"start":126.8,"text":"“He’s doing a terrible job”, Trump told reporters of Merz on Tuesday. “He’s got immigration problems, he’s got energy problems, he’s got problems of all kind[s]”."}],[{"start":136.4,"text":"Merz “criticised me for doing the whole thing with Iran. But I said: ‘Would you like to have a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran’? He said, ‘No, I don’t’. I said, ‘Well, then I guess I’m right.’ He didn’t have any answer to that,” Trump added."}],[{"start":152.15,"text":"The president on Friday said he would increase tariffs on EU cars to 25 per cent. Washington has also warned some European allies to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it tries to replenish its own stockpiles depleted by the Iran war."}],[{"start":168.5,"text":"About 36,400 US troops are in Germany and roughly 80,000 American troops are in Europe."}],[{"start":175.4,"text":"The headquarters of US European Command and US Africa Command, which oversee American military operations in those two regions, are in Stuttgart. Germany is also home to Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center."}],[{"start":189.8,"text":"Trump has also threatened to pull troops out of Italy and Spain, which he has criticised for being unsupportive of the Israeli-US war effort. The US has about 12,600 troops in Italy and 3,800 in Spain."}],[{"start":203.60000000000002,"text":"The president on Thursday said he would “probably” consider withdrawing troops from Italy and Spain. "}],[{"start":210.85000000000002,"text":"“Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”"}],[{"start":218.05,"text":"Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, called on Trump to reverse his “foolish” decision."}],[{"start":225.25,"text":"“Weakening our military footprint in Europe at a time when Russian forces continue to mercilessly attack Ukraine and harass our Nato allies is a priceless gift to Vladimir Putin and suggests American commitments to our allies are dependent on the president’s mood,” he said."}],[{"start":242.2,"text":"Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington"}],[{"start":254.3,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777693653_9073.mp3"}