AFP, West Palm Beach

President Donald Trump on Saturday doubled down on Washington’s decision to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany, as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Iran war.

The Pentagon announced the 5,000-troop reduction on Friday, but Trump told reporters Saturday “we’re going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.” He did not elaborate.

The move follows a spat between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Friday the withdrawal was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”

There were 36,436 active-duty US troops in Nato ally Germany as of December 31, 2025, compared to 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the US troop withdrawal “from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected.”

Trump appears set to punish allies who have failed to back the Iran war or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.