Merz says Iran war 'must not become trans-Atlantic stress test'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that efforts to end the Iran war must not jeopardize relations with the United States, as President Donald Trump again lashed out at NATO for what he said was a lack of support over the Strait of Hormuz.

"This war must not become a trans-Atlantic stress test," Merz said in Paris following discussions on a possible military operation by Western partners to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil supplies that has effectively been closed amid the war on Iran.

"In this respect, we must now draw some conclusions together."

"If what we have set out to do fails, then a major multidimensional global crisis looms," Merz added.

It comes after Iran and Trump announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian government had closed in response to US and Israeli attacks.

In a series of follow-up posts, Trump lashed out at NATO, claiming that "now the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help."

"I told them to stay way, unless they just want to load up their ships with oil," he continued in all-caps. "They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!"

When asked for comment, a NATO official said the military alliance "observed today's meeting on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is closely monitoring the military planning being carried out."

Trump has repeatedly slammed NATO for not joining efforts to reopen the strait, threatening that US support for the alliance would be re-evaluated.