BERLIN

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday sharply criticized US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal and his launch of an "illegal" war against Iran.

“In my opinion, this war is a violation of international law,” he said in a speech at the German Foreign Ministry. "There is little doubt that the justification of an imminent attack on the US is invalid—a view also shared by many in the American bureaucracy."

Steinmeier, who previously served as the country's foreign minister, recalled the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which he helped negotiate. He said Trump's decision to abandon this deal and opt for military action instead was the wrong path to resolve the standoff.

"This war is a politically disastrous mistake, and what frustrates me most is that this is a truly avoidable, unnecessary war if its goal was to stop Iran on its path to developing a nuclear bomb," Steinmeier said in his strongest public criticism to date of the ongoing conflict.