Washington DC - The Pentagon on Friday announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the latest rift in transatlantic ties over the Mideast war.

The announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

On Monday, Merz said that Iran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table. Trump fired back by saying that Merz "doesn't know what he's talking about."

It also came as Trump announced that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will increase to 25% next week over accusations that the bloc did not comply with a trade deal signed last summer.

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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany was expected "to be completed over the next six to twelve months."

"This decision follows a thorough review of the Department's force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground," Parnell said in a statement.

There were 36,436 active-duty US troops in NATO ally Germany as of December 31, 2025, compared to 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain.

Germany's defense minister on Saturday said the withdrawal of American troops from Germany had been expected and that Europe needed to do more to ensure its own security.

"That US troops are withdrawing from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected," Boris Pistorius said in a statement sent to AFP by his ministry. "We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security," he added.

NATO said it was "working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany."

"This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.