For political scientist Varwick, the first 100 days of the Iran war have delivered a clear lesson for Germany. "Germany and Europe must clearly define their own interests and not stand there like a deer in the headlights, especially as Washington is bearing down on them, moving in one direction today and another tomorrow," he said.
Before he even became chancellor last year, Friedrich Merz was advocating greater German independence from the US under Trump. After months of holding his tongue, he now appears to be back where he started.