German left-wingers call for US base to be closed over Iran threats

The co-leader of Germany's The Left party has called for a US military base in the country to be shut down over US Donald Trump's threats to annihilate Iranian civilization.

"Trump's actions must have consequences: the US Ramstein Air Base must be closed," Ines Schwerdtner told dpa on Wednesday, as the world was reacting to the whirlwind of events overnight that led to the US and Iran agreeing on a two-week ceasefire.

Schwerdtner criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz for remaining silent after Trump said on Tuesday that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."

The comments, which came hours before the ceasefire deal was announced, sparked intense backlash, including from US lawmakers, the United Nations and the pope, amid concern that escalating US action might amount to war crimes.

Schwerdtner said that she expects Merz to clarify Germany's future relationship to the US.

"We have a right to know whether Germany wishes to remain a mere appendage to the US’s erratic policies."

The US Air Force base in Ramstein, western Germany, is the most important US military base in Europe and key for operations beyond the continent, including in the Middle East and Africa.