Merkel Says Trump's Iran Deal Withdrawal Harms Trust in Global Order

  • German leader widens her critique of ‘America First’ stance
  • ‘Bad news’ for world if countries simply to what they want

A photograph of U.S. President Donald Trump is set alight during an anti-U.S. demonstration in Tehran, on May 9.

Photographer: Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped up her criticism of U.S. unilateralism, saying President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a nuclear accord with Iran “damages trust in the international order.”

While the accord has flaws and failed to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and involvement in Syria, “nevertheless, I believe that it’s not right to unilaterally cancel an accord that was negotiated, that was confirmed in the UN Security Council unanimously,” Merkel said in a speech on Friday at a religious conference in Muenster, Germany.