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Trump in Fresh Attack on Germany’s Merz Over Iran

03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
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Trump in Fresh Attack on Germany’s Merz Over Iran

03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)
03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. (dpa)

US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, telling him to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of "interfering" on Iran.

Trump's second broadside of the week against Merz came a day after he said he was considering the redeployment of some of the tens of thousands of US troops stationed in key NATO ally Germany.

"The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

He added that Merz should spend "less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!"

Trump was apparently infuriated by Merz's comments on Monday that Tehran was "humiliating" the United States in negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that has just entered its third month.

The US leader's comments also come a day after he had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Trump said focused mostly on ending the war in Ukraine, which Moscow's forces invaded in February 2022.

Trump has long said he could bring a quick end to the war there but has made little progress.

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World

Shooting Near Toronto Street Festival Kills 2 People

Police officers secure the scene after a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. Picture taken using a mobile phone. REUTERS/Cole Burston
Police officers secure the scene after a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. Picture taken using a mobile phone. REUTERS/Cole Burston
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Shooting Near Toronto Street Festival Kills 2 People

Police officers secure the scene after a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. Picture taken using a mobile phone. REUTERS/Cole Burston
Police officers secure the scene after a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. Picture taken using a mobile phone. REUTERS/Cole Burston

A shooting near a Toronto street festival killed two men and wounded several other people Saturday evening, police said, adding that what initially prompted an active-shooter warning was an exchange of gunfire between two people targeting each other.

Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said investigators recovered two firearms after the shooting that was reported at 8:12 p.m. near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St. Clair festival was underway.

No suspect or suspects had been arrested by the time of a late-night news conference, where Barredo confirmed both of the deceased victims were men, The Associated Press reported.

Officers initially urged the public to avoid the area before later announcing the scene had been secured.

“There was some concern about an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said. But the two gunmen involved in the shooting “indiscriminately put vast numbers of people in danger.”

A large police presence remained around the festival, an annual celebration of Latin American culture that draws thousands of people to Toronto’s St. Clair West neighborhood for live music, dancing, food and cultural performances.

“I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless and irresponsible act of violence right in the middle of a festival attended by families,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a social media post that his thoughts were with the victims, families and others affected by the shooting.

“I am devastated by the senseless violence at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival that has claimed two lives and injured others,” Ford said.

Toronto, Canada’s largest city, is among North America’s safest major cities. Fatal shootings, particularly those involving multiple victims in public places, are relatively rare.

“Toronto is one of the safest cities in the world but we are 3 million people and unfortunately we are not immune,” Barredo said.

World

US Attacks Iran, IRGC Says Strait of Hormuz to Remain Closed ‘Until Further Notice’

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East (US Army file photo)
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East (US Army file photo)
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US Attacks Iran, IRGC Says Strait of Hormuz to Remain Closed ‘Until Further Notice’

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East (US Army file photo)
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East (US Army file photo)

The United States attacked Iran early Sunday morning over an Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, setting the container ship ablaze and forcing its crew to abandon it.

The strait has become the key sticking point in any further negotiations between Iran and the United States to find a permanent end to the war that began back on Feb. 28.

About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait before the war began. Iran’s grip on it during the war led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have sharply dropped since wartime highs of $120 a barrel.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said multiple vessels “disregarded our warnings and instructions to correct their course and proceed along the approved route.” One of them “was struck by a warning shot and brought to a stop.”

Iran said that the strait would remain closed “until further notice” and said it would consider targeting “additional enemy bases in the region” if it faced more attacks.

The US attacks on Iran apparently targeted Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as other areas, along the shores of the strait, Iran state media reported. Iran offered no immediate information about casualties or damage.

US forces completed a third round of strikes this week against Iran, hitting approximately 140 Iranian ⁠military targets, the ⁠Central Command said late on Saturday ⁠in a post on X.

Targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, ⁠and ⁠coastal surveillance locations, the Central Command added.

 

World

US Lawmaker Says He Was ‘Detained’ by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (Reuters)
US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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US Lawmaker Says He Was ‘Detained’ by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (Reuters)
US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (Reuters)

A prominent Democratic US lawmaker from California, Ro Khanna, said Saturday he was "detained" by armed Israeli settlers along with other Americans during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and said the military was complicit in the incident.

"Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine," Khanna said in a post on X.

When the Israeli military arrived at the scene, he added, "they sided with the settlers & continued our detention. They made a huge mistake."

Footage and accounts provided to The New York Times by Khanna and his team shows a group of armed men blocking the road outside a small village in the southern West Bank and swearing at them in Hebrew and Arabic.

Khanna told the Times that when the Israeli troops arrived at the scene, the soldiers spoke to the settlers and subsequently blocked the road themselves when the settlers left.

After calls to the US embassy and Israeli police, Khanna said he was allowed to pass.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

The United States is a staunch ally of Israel, but some lawmakers, especially Democrats, have vehemently criticized Israel's military offensive in Gaza, and more generally the treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.