War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the United States would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany amid President Donald Trump’s feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Trump had previously threatened to punish NATO allies who refused to assist the U.S. in its war with Iran, and Germany became a natural first candidate after Merz publicly claimed that Iran was “humiliating” the U.S. After several pointed remarks against Merz, Hegseth announced the withdrawal of 5,000 of the roughly 36,000 U.S. troops from Germany.