Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth informed Estonia's defense minister that the delivery of six High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems would be delayed until after the war with Iran, raising significant concerns about U.S. reliability as a defense partner.
Germany and the European Union must fundamentally rethink their relationship with the United States, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) advocates, as President Donald Trump's approach to international affairs raises doubts about the US's reliability as a partner and ally. The SPD, the junior coalition member in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government, argues in a policy paper set to be adopted by the party executive board that Germany must carry out a realistic reassessment of the trans-Atlantic relationship.
An endless war is not in our interest. The same applies to a collapse of Iranian statehood or proxy conflicts fought on Iranian soil. Such scenarios could have far-reaching consequences for Europe, including for security, energy supply and migration.
The German soldiers and contingents were not the immediate target. And the bases themselves are not operated by the German Bundeswehr, which is only "guest" there along with troops from other nations, including the US. The Defense Ministry emphasized that precautions had been taken in good time to protect German soldiers in the Middle East.