Stockholm, May 10 -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remains positive on NATO's future during a visit to Sweden on Saturday, despite mounting strains with the United States and plans to withdraw American troops from Germany.

"I have no doubt that the US has a strong interest in having a strong European component of NATO at its side, and vice versa," Merz added.

The announcement came against a backdrop of mounting tensions between US President Donald Trump and Merz about the conflict in the Gulf.

The flare-up came after Merz last week told an audience of German schoolchildren that the Iranians had deliberately let US envoys travel to Pakistan and "then leave again without any result".

"An entire nation," he said, "is being humiliated ...