U.S. President Trump and German Chancellor Scholz met at the White House on March 3. [Reuters Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump has been "taking shots" at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his critical stance on a war with Iran.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on the 30th (local time), President Trump stated, "The German Chancellor should spend more time on ending the Russia-Ukraine war (he has been totally incompetent in that area!)".

He added, "Spend less time interfering with those who are eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat," arguing that eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat "makes the world, including Germany, safer."

President Trump's remarks are interpreted as a reaction to Chancellor Merz's criticism of his conduct of the war against Iran.

On the 27th, Chancellor Merz stated, "Iran is much stronger than expected, and the United States lacks a convincing strategy in negotiations," adding that the entire United States is being "humiliated" by Iran.

President Trump then responded the following day, saying, "Chancellor Merz thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons," and "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

President Trump then criticized Germany's domestic situation, saying, "It's no wonder Germany is performing poorly, both economically and otherwise," and on this day, he again urged Chancellor Merz to "focus more on fixing your broken country, including immigration and energy issues."

President Trump has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with European allies who were uncooperative during the Iran conflict. The day before, he had stated, "The United States is looking at potentially reducing our forces in Germany," adding, "A decision will be made soon."