German defence minister responds to US president’s announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in Germany Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East. The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe , after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany. Trump said he is “not satisfied” with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents. The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies