​AfD Demands U.S. Troop Exit Amid Iran War

BERLIN — In a direct challenge to Germany’s post-war security architecture, Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has called for the immediate and total withdrawal of the approximately 40,000 U.S. troops stationed in the country.

​Speaking at a party congress in Saxony, Chrupalla argued that the ongoing war between the United States and Iran has made Germany’s current military alignment a liability. He asserted that the Federal Republic must “chart a more independent foreign policy course” to avoid being “drawn into international conflicts” that do not serve German national interests.

​A Model in Madrid

​Chrupalla pointed toward Spain as a potential blueprint for Berlin. Under its current socialist government, Madrid has notably restricted the U.S. military from using Spanish bases for operations related to the Iran conflict. The AfD leader suggested that Germany should similarly assert its sovereignty by ending its role as a strategic hub for American military projection in the Middle East and beyond.

​”Let’s start putting this into practice—by withdrawing U.S. troops from Germany,” Chrupalla told a cheering crowd, referencing the party’s official platform which advocates for the removal of all foreign allied forces and their nuclear weapons from German soil.

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​Shifting Political Tides

​The demand comes at a moment of high political tension. Recent state elections in Rhineland-Palatinate—home to the strategically vital Ramstein Air Base—saw the AfD double its previous share of the vote to 19.5%. This surge in support has emboldened the party’s leadership to pivot toward more radical foreign policy stances, even as other European far-right figures begin to distance themselves from the current U.S. administration’s “erratic” maneuvers in the Middle East.

​While Chancellor Friedrich Merz has attempted to maintain a delicate “high-wire act” with Washington, the AfD is betting that a public weary of energy price hikes and the threat of regional escalation will embrace a “Germany First” approach to defense.

​The 2029 Vision

​The AfD’s rhetoric is increasingly aimed at the 2029 federal elections. Chrupalla framed the troop withdrawal not merely as a reaction to the Iran war, but as a prerequisite for the party’s transition from an “opposition party into a governing party.” By demanding an end to the U.S. presence—America’s largest military footprint in Europe—the AfD is signaling a desire to dismantle the NATO-centric status quo that has defined German security since 1945.