New US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, a strong backer of President Donald Trump, Tuesday assumed the post left vacant for 15 months, already facing criticism amid heightened trans-Atlantic tensions. His start in Berlin came hours before Trump was to announce whether he would scrap the Iran nuclear agreement despite pleas from fellow signatories Germany, Britain and France to save it.
The 51-year-old former US spokesman at the United Nations and frequent commentator on conservative broadcaster Fox News is widely seen as a hawkish supporter of Trump's "America first" stance. A recent cancer survivor who is openly gay, Grenell describes himself on his Twitter page with the words "I'm stronger after cancer. My dog runs my life. Imperfect follower of Christ."
He has used Twitter to accuse Iran of "lying" about its atomic programme and argued Germany "should have joined" US, British and French missile strikes against Syria last month over its suspected chemical weapons use. The Syria comment ruffled feathers in Germany, with Social Democratic lawmaker Nils Schmid calling it "incomprehensible" given Germany's military role in Afghanistan, Mali and other missions.