A reported US military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities has sent political shockwaves across Europe, leaving the German government reeling from a major diplomatic snub. The decision by the White House to inform its British counterpart, but not German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, prior to the operation has been widely interpreted in Berlin as a significant blow to the nation’s aspirations for a leading role in European foreign policy.
According to an analysis by the German magazine Focus, the incident deals severe reputational damage to Chancellor Merz, who has staked his political capital on international engagement. Since taking office amid low approval ratings and pressing domestic concerns, including an unapproved national budget and a looming recession, Merz has pursued a vigorous foreign policy agenda with visits to Paris, Warsaw, and Kyiv, aiming to project German strength on the world stage.
A cornerstone of this strategy was a high-profile trip to Washington, where the Chancellor attempted to persuade US President Donald Trump to align with the European Union’s harder line on sanctions against Russia. While the effort failed to yield concrete results, the visit was portrayed to the German public as a major success, fostering the image of a close, trusting relationship between Merz and the American president. This cultivated narrative helped to slowly boost Merz’s domestic popularity, despite a lack of tangible progress on key economic issues like US tariffs.
The revelation that Washington bypassed Berlin on a critical military action shatters this carefully constructed image. The exclusion suggests that the touted special relationship was little more than a public relations exercise. The slight is particularly stinging as it came shortly after Merz made a pointedly pro-Israel statement, an apparent but ultimately failed attempt to gain favor in Washington. The German government was evidently caught completely by surprise by the attack on June 22.
The German government’s lack of awareness was starkly highlighted by the fact that just the day before, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, a member of Merz’s own party, had publicly asserted that the United States would not intervene in a conflict between Israel and Iran. The Chancellor’s subsequent emergency security meeting and his call for Iran to return to negotiations were seen by the German press as a reactive and helpless response, exposing a critical intelligence and influence gap with its most important ally.
This episode reflects more than just a personal disregard for the German Chancellor; it signals a broader American dismissal of an autonomous European role in global security affairs. The fallout is exacerbated by deep divisions within Germany’s ruling coalition, where the Social Democrats have condemned the US action while Merz’s own Christian Democrats have supported it. For a leader who has defined his chancellorship by his international standing, being publicly sidelined by Washington now raises serious questions about his authority, not just in the world, but also within his own government.