German deputy leader: 'We don't need tips from Trump

German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Friday lashed out at US President Donald Trump over his recent broadsides at Chancellor Friedrich Merz linked to criticism of the war in Iran.

"We really don’t need any tips from Donald Trump," said Klingbeil at an International Workers' Day event in the Ruhr region, a former German industrial heartland.

"He should have a look at the shambles he's created," Klingbeil added. "He should ensure that serious peace talks are now held in Iran."

Merz accused the Trump administration on Monday of having "quite obviously gone into this war in Iran without any strategy at all" and said the US has been "humiliated" by Tehran.

Trump hit back by launching a fierce verbal attack against Merz, saying the German leader "doesn't know what he’s talking about!"

The spat has since escalated further. While Merz was adamant on Wednesday to stress that his relationship with Trump "remains – at least from my point of view – as good as ever," the US president has since threatened to reduce the number of US troops stationed in Germany.

Trump also told Merz to "spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine" and on "fixing his broken Country."

While Klingbeil, the leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) and finance minister in Merz's coalition, has not always seen eye-to-eye with his boss, he backed the chancellor and doubled down on criticism of Trump. 

“I think he really believed this would be a matter of two or three days and then everything would be fine,” Klingbeil said of the war in Iran. 

"He now bears the responsibility for ensuring that this war in Iran comes to a swift end."

“Above all, he must ensure that the burdens caused by his war do not fall on us, on workers, on consumers and on the economy.”

However, Klingbeil also stressed that it was crucial for Europe to be economically strong enough to prevent the continent from being "blackmailed".

"I do not want us to be dependent on whatever mood Donald Trump is in today or tomorrow."