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The US is withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift over the Iran war widens between Donald Trump and Europe. 00:00 | Ali Miraj breaks down the spat between Trump and Merz 04:38 | Andrea calls for the 'collapse of the Yankee empire' 11:34 | Caller Abdul says Trump 'humiliates himself', not Iran 11:57 | German citizen Ulf says Merz's comments were 'unhelpful' 14:07 | Caller Simon says America no longer needs Europe Trump had threatened a drawdown in forces earlier this week after sparring with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday the Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the two-month-old war. The Pentagon said the withdrawal was expected to be completed over the next six to twelve months. Trump has also indicated he plans to reduce Washington's military presence in Italy and Spain as well. Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #alimiraj #merz #trump #germany #usa #politics #europe #iran #iranwar #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after Trump and Mertz clashed
0:05
The US president's decision appears to be in retaliation for the German chancellor's
0:10
comment that Washington had been humiliated by Tehran. Washington has said it would withdraw 5,000 of its troops from Germany as President Trump's
0:20
rift with European NATO members over the war in Iran escalated. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, announced on Friday that the withdrawal was
0:29
expected to be completed over the next six to 12 months. On Wednesday, President Trump posted on
0:35
Truth Social that the US was reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany
0:42
apparently in retaliation for Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, claiming that Washington was
0:47
being, inverted commas, humiliated in its war with Iran. Trump continued his personal attacks
0:54
on Mertz throughout the week, a senior Pentagon official said that Friday's announcement
1:00
was the result of the president rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks made by Berlin
1:07
I mean, this, I don't know if it was the same Pentagon source or another Pentagon source
1:12
said that the comments were inappropriate and unhelpful. Maybe they should have a conversation with their own president
1:19
about some of his social media activity, which could be described politely in that manner
1:26
The official said the withdrawal would bring troop numbers in Europe back to roughly pre-2022 levels
1:32
before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And this was the quote, This decision follows a thorough review of the department's force posture in Europe
1:43
and its recognition of theatre requirements and conditions on the ground. This is this Pentagon Chief Spokesman, Sean Parnell
1:52
who said this, and it was basically a confirmation of the pivot away from Europe
2:00
in terms of the focus of US objectives and attention, if you like
2:07
away from Europe, more towards Asia. At the end of last year, there were 36,500 American troops stationed in Germany
2:14
compared with a quarter of a million in West Germany in 1989. The largest U.S. airbase in Europe has, well, it's outside the city of Rammstein in southwest Germany, which has been an important hub for coordinating weapons deliveries to Ukraine
2:31
And the prospect of pulling troops from Germany follows reports that Trump is considering plans to punish NATO countries that he says have not given the U.S. enough support during the Iran war
2:44
his frequently lamented European countries' resistance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz
2:52
Now, he said this, and I just should make it clear what the president said on Truth Social
2:59
The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war in Russia and Ukraine
3:05
where he has been totally ineffective, exclamation mark, and fixing his broken country
3:10
especially immigration and energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat
3:16
thereby making the world, including Germany, a safer place. Mertz said that Washington had been humiliated by Tehran
3:23
adding the Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy
3:30
in the negotiations either. Well, well, well, certainly all kicking off there
3:36
I just want to ask you this, really. Has Friedrich Mertz got a point
3:42
Has Friedrich Merz got a point that the US is being humiliated by Iran
3:47
Because this thing's been going on for weeks now. We've had a ceasefire for what, coming into its third week now
3:55
No, no, well, I'm sure there might be progress going on at the back. I mean, the Pakistanis are working day and night to try and do something
4:00
but we haven't got any real movement on this. The blockade of the Strait of Hormones continues
4:05
Oil now hitting in the last few days a barrel Everyone in the markets had cognitive dissonance about the fact that this would be I mean they being very hopeful that this is all going to end quite soon
4:18
Well, what if it doesn't end soon? I mean, there's no indication at all. We've got an embargo of an
4:23
embargo at the moment by the US, embargoing and blockading Iran, Iran's blockading the strait
4:29
no sign of any conclusion of this at all. And the global economy heading for a very, very difficult and dark place
4:38
Now, America is trying to pivot to deal with China, but essentially it's already lost because the petrodollar system has collapsed
4:45
what you would call the petrodollar recycling and demand system. So the UAE is probably going to stop selling oil in dollars
4:52
And our friends in Persia have already deleted, as you're saying, about 25% of petroleum products
4:57
and therefore the petrodollar is falling in price. And therefore America is going to default on its huge $40 trillion of public debt
5:06
So to that extent, what we see America doing in the Far East is a desperate but doomed attempt to try and defeat its major rival, which is China
5:14
but in fact it's now Russia and China combined. So America is being humiliated and that's good news
5:21
because I like to see the collapse of the Yankee petrodollar empire of terror
5:25
chaos, lies and genocide. Now, the question is, can this collapse happen reasonably calmly, like the collapse of British power in 1945, or are we going to end up in thermonuclear annihilation, Ali? What do you think
5:38
Well, I hope that that doesn't happen. I think the Chinese are that old adage of Napoleon, never interfere with your enemy while they're making a complete hash of things. I think they're just sitting back and watching
5:49
Although, look, the implications of commodity supply chain disruption on the back of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is causing all sorts of issues
5:59
I mean, there's rationing going on in parts of Asia already. We haven't had to face that here
6:03
But a lot of that oil and gas that had got out of the strait has now docked in various ports around the world towards the end of April
6:12
So now we are going to begin to see in the coming weeks the ramifications of this ongoing disruption
6:20
this ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. And we're all going to begin to feel at the moment we're shadowboxing
6:26
The markets are living in a world of cognitive dissonance where they don't really want to face up to how bad this can get
6:31
Although the hint now, the hint, the canary in the coal mine is $125 a barrel where oil hit this week
6:39
it came back a bit again. It was bouncing all over the place. That's the big danger. I mean, look
6:45
do I think Merz has got a point on Iran humiliating the US? Yes, I do. I don't think Iran obviously is
6:52
doing particularly well. I mean, its entire military industrial complex has been completely
6:59
pummeled by the US. Its people are being killed. Its bridges are being destroyed. I mean, this is
7:04
wreaking havoc all over the place. But the Iranians have a higher pain threshold than the US because
7:11
they are a theocracy. They are not a democracy. And even though the US is quite insulated from
7:17
these price rises in the petrol market, if you like, they're not completely immune because it's
7:24
global prices. And even though they don't need the supply, it is actually affecting the price of oil
7:29
at the pump, which is going to hurt Donald Trump, particularly in the midterm. So I think they are
7:33
being humiliated, Andrew? Let me make two replies there. One is, it's not just a matter of trying to
7:38
raise prices to deal with shortages. And there's now an absolute shortage of petroleum products
7:43
And because that means that the petrol dollar is dropping, it means that America will, as our Persian friends know, default on its $40 trillion public debt. Now, when that happens
7:54
when the US massively and irremediably defaults on its Treasury debt mountain
7:58
huge things are going to happen. The price of the euro and sterling will hit the bottom
8:01
the treasuries market in london and brussels also collapsed and at that point it's not going to be
8:06
a question of market failures it's going to be a question of 1929 world depression and i don't
8:12
think people appreciate that they think you know maybe i can afford jam being higher in tesco's or
8:16
other reputable supermarkets it going to be absolute shortages like 1929 plus august 1940 in london queuing everywhere no products You be lucky We have to suspend the pricing mechanism inshallah
8:29
and there'll have to be huge governmental central control of supply and prices back to wartime conditions
8:34
So to that extent, it's not just that Tehran and Moscow and Beijing have won
8:39
They're about to completely eviscerate Western economics, in my opinion. Well, Andrea, thank you
8:45
Would you agree? Well, thank you for that very sobering thought. Do I agree? Well, I do think that unless this strait is opened quick smart, we're going to be
8:53
looking at either curtailment of demand or consumption of stockpiles, and stockpiles are
9:00
already beginning to be consumed. So that is going to definitely be a thing. We also have other
9:05
ancillary effects from all of this going on, including the Financial Times reporting that
9:11
the US warns Europe of delays to arms shipments as Iran wore drained stockpiles. This is Washington
9:17
warning European allies, including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, to expect long delivery delays for US weapons
9:24
as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war. Who's going to be affected by that
9:30
Well, I'll tell you who. The Ukrainians. And only this week, I mentioned towards the end of last week's Sunday show
9:36
that I was going to be in Madrid, which I was, at a big summit this week
9:40
and saw Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of Ukraine there, speaking very movingly, very powerfully
9:47
about the senseless war that is continuing and how he actually has to go and speak to the mothers of fallen servicemen
9:55
And he spoke and said this, which was really powerful. He said, very difficult to find the words when you're dealing with a mother who comes to you
10:04
as the mayor of Kiev to tell you that she's lost her son
10:09
What do you say? Do you say, thank you? Doesn't really cut it
10:13
Do you say, we appreciate and we're proud of their bravery in service
10:18
Doesn't really wash. He finds it very difficult to find the exact words
10:24
But he gives them a medal in recognition of their bravery in service
10:30
And he gave one mother a medal. And then a few weeks later, the same mother came back to him
10:38
And he said, oh, you're back. What's happened? And she goes, I've now lost my other son, Mr. Mayor
10:47
And if you think about that, and you think about the ramifications of this war in Iran
10:52
and the fact that, whether you agree or not, that the US is being humiliated
10:57
the ramifications of this are not only on world oil prices and commodity prices and supply chains
11:04
which could lead to a very dark place for the global economy. they could also lead to a very, very difficult place for Ukraine
11:10
if they can't get the weapons they need to continue that fight
11:15
Firstly, about Merkel, I don't think Trump needs anybody. Mertz, Mertz, Mertz
11:20
Mertz doesn't need anyone who feels humiliated. He humiliates himself daily. The Epstein files have humiliated him
11:26
That's my opinion. I know it's not a closed case, but there's definitely something there, something sinister going on
11:35
obviously he was friends with him for a very long time. Well, he would deny that completely
11:39
saying that nothing's been proven. But, yeah, go on. Yeah, yeah, but he was associated with him
11:44
Yeah, but lots of people were associated with Epstein. Doesn't mean they were all, like
11:48
cavorting with underage girls, right? I think he was... Was it? No. Yeah, yeah, you're right
11:52
I'm not saying... It's not a close-sharing case. But he was a close friend
11:56
That's just one thing. Three points, mate. First of all, Merz is right. The Iranian regime is humiliating the Americans
12:03
Not that it's very difficult to make them look stupid. Second, Mertzschuld has kept his big mouth shut
12:09
He sometimes suffers from some sort of political turret. The remarks were unhelpful
12:15
Just keep your mouth shut and get us out of this dependence on the Americans and on fossil fuels
12:23
Third Donald Trump is very helpful in weaning us off American military support and fossil fuels So he achieving something good despite his obvious nastiness So Ulf do you think that Mertz should have just kept his mouth shut
12:40
because we still need U.S. weapons for the war in Ukraine? I mean, stating this in this way, why do you think it drove Mertz
12:48
I mean, Mertz has basically talked about the fact that it's going to affect the economy
12:52
I mean, he's been very open about that. Clearly, he's worried about that, understandably
12:55
But you've got to hold your tongue sometimes, haven't you? Yeah, I agree
12:59
As I said, he is not always in full control of his own mouth
13:03
He sometimes has things that bite him in the rear. Well, it's interesting because he also said this, Ulf
13:09
He said, this is Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor. It is at the moment a pretty tangled situation
13:14
and it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran
13:17
has a direct impact on our economic output. Ulf, you're in Hamburg in Germany
13:22
one of the jewels in the crown in Germany. Are you worried about the economy? Yes, of course
13:26
I personally don't drive but fuel is at a premium it will filter down
13:34
just like everywhere else everything will become more expensive and we are
13:41
pretty busy rearming, that will become more expensive, we are pretty busy
13:47
defossilizing our economy, that will become more expensive, it will also become more necessary
13:53
I mean this sort of Hormuz nonsense really shows that we should not rely on the Arab world
14:00
or anybody else who provides us with energy. Yeah, but it's becoming more difficult, and that will make politics more difficult
14:07
I have to say, I really enjoyed your last call. I think saying Birchhaus Tourette is being probably too kind
14:14
The man's an idiot. Go on. America no longer needs Europe. The only value Europe has is its base is in proximity to the Middle East
14:24
Yep. I think this war is planned to go on far longer than anyone anticipates
14:31
And as damaging as the issue around energy supplies will be, that's not the main issue
14:37
If you look at the amount of fertilizer that the Gulf produced in 73, it was about 3% of the world's supply
14:46
Now it's 50. So you start having growing seasons. We're having our planting season now
14:54
All around the world, we're going to see major food shortages if this continues
15:00
Do you think people are concentrating on this, Simon? I mean, we seem to be in a period where people have knocked the penny hasn't really dropped
15:10
People don't understand. We live in what many people like to believe we live in a digital world
15:17
I was just, in fact, it was amusing. So I was just listening to a podcast by four tech billionaires complaining about the major issue with developing AI was that they couldn't get enough generators and transformers
15:29
Well, duh. You know, these things are complex. And we have politicians who have, and civil servants as well, who have no idea how complex it is to do these things
15:40
So the impact, you're going to have second, third, fourth order impacts that are going to be enormous from this
15:47
The US is largely insulated as well as being an energy exporter. The US is a food exporter
15:53
China's not. China is highly dependent on fertilizer. It's probably their biggest vulnerability they have
16:01
And the timing of this war is interesting. Trump was due to have his trade meeting with President Xi
16:07
And as I said to you in the past, I think there was an under-the-table deal
16:12
between China and America about rare earths. China would no longer accept payments for rare earths in dollars
16:20
They would require the U.S. to provide them with gold. And that's why you saw gold exports being the major export item in the U.S
16:28
in October and November last year. And I think Trump is now saying to Xi, if you want to feed your people
16:35
if you want to avoid being hung from a tree, then you need to reach a deal with me
16:40
Because the Iranians could declare the Straits of Hornos open tomorrow. the Americans could still maintain their blockade
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