practically everything destroyed, with new strikes coming in weeks
In the shadow of a joint American-Israeli military campaign against Iran, President Trump received German Chancellor Merz at the White House — the first such meeting since the offensive began — and declared that further strikes were imminent. What began as a targeted military operation has grown into a moment of civilizational reckoning: oil markets tremble, air corridors close, and Europe quietly recalibrates its strategic foundations. History rarely announces its turning points, but this week, it may have.
- Trump declared Iran's air defenses destroyed and its leadership structure dismantled, promising additional missile and drone strikes in the weeks ahead.
- Israeli forces reportedly struck the building housing the council responsible for selecting Iran's supreme leader, leaving the country's command hierarchy in visible disarray.
- Global oil prices surged to their highest level since 2024, with international air traffic disrupted as the conflict's shockwaves spread far beyond the battlefield.
- Germany and France announced deepened nuclear deterrence cooperation on the same day Merz flew to Washington — a quiet but seismic signal of European strategic repositioning.
- Merz neither condemned nor endorsed the offensive, embodying Europe's uneasy posture: not opposition, but a recognition that the old transatlantic order has fundamentally shifted.
On a Tuesday afternoon in the Oval Office, President Trump told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Iran had been reduced to rubble — its air defenses dismantled, its leadership targeted, more strikes on the way. The meeting, the first between Trump and a European leader since the joint US-Israel offensive began, was meant to be routine. It was anything but.
Trump framed the campaign as preemptive, arguing that Iran would have struck first. He acknowledged pressing Israel to join the operation, underscoring American ownership of the escalation. New attacks using missiles and drones, he said, were coming in the weeks ahead. Israeli media reported separately that Israel had struck the building housing the council of ayatollahs responsible for choosing Iran's supreme leader — a blow aimed at the country's very mechanism of succession.
The conversation with Merz covered trade and military logistics, with Trump noting German cooperation in allowing US forces access to certain areas, while carefully clarifying that no ground troops had been requested. The distinction revealed a deliberate effort to contain European entanglement even as the conflict expanded.
Merz had left Berlin the same day Germany and France announced plans to deepen nuclear deterrence cooperation — widely read as a hedge against Russian instability and eroding American guarantees. Europe was not opposing the offensive, but it was quietly preparing for a world in which it could no longer rely on Washington's focus or protection.
The war had already reached global markets. Oil prices climbed to their highest point since 2024, and international air routes were disrupted. What began as a military campaign was now reshaping supply chains and economies far from the Middle East — a reminder that in an interconnected world, no conflict stays contained for long.
President Donald Trump stood in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon and made a stark assessment of the military campaign unfolding in the Middle East. The attacks carried out jointly with Israel, he said, had reduced Iran to rubble—"practically everything" destroyed. More strikes were coming, he indicated, in the weeks ahead. The message was delivered to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had traveled to Washington for what was meant to be a routine diplomatic visit but had become something else entirely: the first meeting between Trump and a European leader since the offensive began.
According to Trump's account, Iran now sat defenseless. Its air defense network had been dismantled. Its leadership structure had been targeted—he mentioned without elaboration that "today there was an attack on the new leadership." Israeli media reported separately that Israel had struck the building housing the council of ayatollahs responsible for selecting Iran's supreme leader. The implication was clear: the country's command structure was in disarray. Trump said he hoped someone from within the Iranian regime would step forward to lead, but the current state suggested no one was in a position to do so.
When asked about the decision to launch the campaign, Trump framed it as preemptive. He believed Iran would have struck first, he explained, so he acted. He also acknowledged pushing Israel to join the operation—a detail that underscored American leadership in the escalation. The new attacks, he said, would rely on missiles and drones, suggesting a shift in the character of the strikes or simply a continuation of the methods already in use.
The meeting with Merz took on outsized significance precisely because it was the first such encounter since the offensive began. The two leaders discussed trade and military cooperation, with Trump noting that Germany had been helpful by allowing American forces to use certain areas for operations. He was careful to add that the United States had not asked Germany to deploy ground troops. The distinction mattered: it suggested a desire to keep European involvement limited, even as the conflict deepened.
Merz's journey to Washington reflected a broader European scramble to adapt to a shifting world. On the same day he left Berlin, Germany and France announced plans to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence—a move widely read as a response to Russian threats and the instability created by the Iran conflict. Europe was repositioning itself, hedging its bets, preparing for a future in which American security guarantees might be less reliable or less focused on European concerns.
The military campaign had already begun reshaping global markets. Oil prices had climbed to their highest level since 2024, driven by fears that the conflict could disrupt one of the world's most critical shipping routes for petroleum. International air traffic had been affected as well. What had started as a military operation was rippling outward, touching economies and supply chains far from the Middle East.
Merz had arrived in Washington with trade on his agenda. The conversation had been overtaken by war. He had not directly criticized the offensive when asked about it on Sunday, but he had stopped short of endorsing it either. The legality of the strikes under international law remained a question mark, one that European leaders seemed reluctant to answer directly. The visit signaled European unease—not quite opposition, but a recognition that the ground had shifted and that old assumptions about the transatlantic relationship no longer held.
Citações Notáveis
I attacked because I thought they would attack first— President Trump, explaining the rationale for the military campaign
Today there was an attack on the new leadership— President Trump, regarding strikes on Iran's command structure
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Trump keep emphasizing that Iran's defenses are gone? What's the strategic point of saying it out loud?
He's signaling that the threat has been neutralized—that there's no retaliation capability left. It's partly reassurance to allies like Germany, partly a warning to anyone else watching that resistance is futile.
But if the defenses are truly destroyed, why does he need to threaten more attacks?
Because destruction and control aren't the same thing. You can crater a country's military infrastructure and still have a problem if the political situation is unstable. He's saying the next phase is about shaping what comes next.
What does Merz's silence on the legality actually mean?
It means Europe is caught. They can't openly support an offensive they're not sure about legally, but they also can't afford to break with Washington. So they say nothing and deepen their nuclear cooperation instead—hedging.
Oil prices are already spiking. How long can this go on before it breaks something?
That's the real question nobody's answering. A prolonged conflict doesn't just hurt Iran—it destabilizes global energy markets, which destabilizes everything else. Europe knows this, which is why Merz is in Washington trying to understand the endgame.
Is there an endgame?
Not one Trump has articulated. He's described the destruction and promised more strikes, but he hasn't said what success looks like or when it stops.