Washington – Baghdad: Europe and the Arabs – Agencies

David Sachs, White House advisor on artificial intelligence and digital currencies, stated that the United States would be in a better position if it ended its war with Iran. According to him, it is time to end the military campaign.

Sachs made this statement during an appearance on the "All-In" podcast. He said, "This is a good moment to declare victory and withdraw." Sachs is thus one of the few prominent figures in President Donald Trump's administration to publicly call for withdrawal from the conflict.

According to Sachs, the American attacks have significantly weakened Iran's military capabilities. Therefore, he believes Washington should look for a way to end the conflict. He said, "I agree that we need to try to find a way out." He called for a diplomatic solution to prevent further escalation. He stated, "If escalation is not working, then we have to think about how to de-escalate." According to Sachs, this could be achieved through a ceasefire or a negotiated settlement with Iran. According to the Belgian newspaper Newsblad in Brussels, under the headline "Drone Strikes US Embassy in Baghdad," security sources told AFP that a drone targeted the US Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday.

According to an official, the drone targeted the US diplomatic mission building. A second security source confirmed that the embassy was the target of the attack.

The incident occurred shortly after two fighters from an Iranian-backed militia were killed in attacks in the Iraqi capital, according to multiple sources.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that US Central Command (CENTCOM) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the strike that targeted a girls' school in Iran, which resulted in the deaths of 168 students and 14 teachers and staff members.

Hegseth told reporters, "I can say that US Central Command has appointed a military investigator to conduct a command-level investigation. This investigation will continue for as long as necessary to examine all the circumstances surrounding this incident. The officer conducting the investigation is not part of US Central Command."

It is worth noting that on the first day of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, February 28, a girls' school in southern Iran was bombed. One hundred and sixty-eight schoolgirls were killed, along with 14 teachers and staff members. The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the United States had bombed the girls' school with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

In the same vein, Cairo News Channel quoted the Israeli army as saying: "We bombed headquarters and military bases of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, and launched a wide wave of raids on Iranian regime infrastructure throughout Tehran."

The US Central Command stated: "Our goal is to eliminate Iran's ability to rebuild its threats in the future... B-2 bombers are carrying out long-range strikes against Iranian capabilities."

For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responded, saying: "We targeted 10 locations where Israeli commanders reside and 3 locations where Americans gather in the region."

The army is preparing to launch a large-scale ground operation in Lebanon, as the occupation army bombs wide areas in Beirut's southern suburbs and targets infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported two martyrs and five wounded paramedics in an Israeli raid on the town of Al-Sawana in southern Lebanon. Israeli media reported that the army will call up more reserve soldiers to establish a buffer zone in Lebanon.

In a speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated, "Any ground invasion is not a threat to us, but rather another chapter in the occupation's failure." He added, "We are prepared for a long confrontation with Israel. Our battle against the occupation is a battle to defend Lebanon and for the sake of Lebanon." He pointed out that the continued Israeli occupation of several points in Lebanon must be met with force.

The Hezbollah Secretary-General said, "Stability will not be achieved as long as Israeli incursions into the region continue." He added that Israeli aggression has not ceased since the ceasefire agreement, and that Lebanon is waging a legitimate battle of defense against Israeli aggression. He further stated that they had targeted an Israeli military convoy with missiles in the Hounine Valley, opposite the border town of Markaba.

Meanwhile, in the same context, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has appeared in recent days to distance himself from his previous support for US President Donald Trump regarding the current war with Iran, especially after the increasing economic and security repercussions of the conflict on Germany and Europe became clear. A report published Friday by Politico, a magazine specializing in European affairs, stated that Chancellor Angela Merz, who last week appeared aligned with Washington's war aims, has recently shifted his tone significantly, particularly given growing concerns in Berlin about the repercussions of the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region.

During an official visit to Norway, Merz delivered his most explicit criticism to date of the war, asserting that the conflict raises "major security questions." He added that the war "significantly impacts energy costs and could lead to a large-scale migration wave." According to the report, this stance represents a clear shift compared to Merz's visit to the White House last week, where he met with Trump in the Oval Office and expressed support for Washington's declared war objectives.  

During the meeting, the German Chancellor showed clear support when Trump spoke about the extent of the damage caused by the US airstrikes on Iran, even affirming that Berlin agreed with Washington on the necessity of ending the regime's rule in Tehran. However, as the war entered its third week, Merz no longer appeared as enthusiastic as before, as the repercussions of the conflict increasingly threatened the economic and political interests of Germany and Europe.

The report explained that Merz is facing mounting political pressure within his country, particularly from his coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), which is calling for a more cautious stance on the war. The German Chancellor also finds himself relatively isolated among a number of European leaders who have criticized the US and Israeli strikes from the outset, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Furthermore, the German government fears that the war will deepen the country's already struggling economic crisis, especially given that the German manufacturing sector is already suffering from slowing growth and rising energy costs. Merz also fears that the continuation of the conflict could trigger a new refugee crisis in Europe, at a time when he is trying to curb the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In addition, Berlin is expressing concern about the war's impact on efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, especially after the US administration's decision to ease some oil sanctions imposed on Russia in an effort to lower global oil prices. Indeed, Merz strongly criticized this move, arguing that it could provide Moscow with additional financial resources to fund its war against Ukraine, describing the decision as "wrong."

The German Chancellor stated, "We want to ensure that Russia does not exploit the war in Iran to weaken Ukraine." However, a Politico report indicated that Merz has sent mixed signals regarding his country's position since the start of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The day after the first attack, he expressed doubts about the strikes' ability to topple the Iranian regime, warning of the possibility of the war escalating into a protracted conflict similar to what followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

At the same time, he emphasized that Germany cannot "lecture" its allies and that it understands their political objectives. These contradictory messages have caused confusion even within Tehran itself. Iran's ambassador to Germany, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, stated that his country could not ascertain Berlin's true position, saying, "We don't know what Germany's actual stance is; we hear conflicting voices from within the government."

In recent days, Merz has adopted a more cautious tone. During a meeting in Berlin with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, he expressed concern that the United States and Israel still lack a clear plan to end the war, raising European fears that the conflict could escalate into a protracted and open-ended war in the Middle East.