Merkel, Trump discuss Iran, Iraq over phone

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump spoke about the situation in Iran, Iraq and Libya in a phone call on Tuesday, a German government spokesman said.

"Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump talked in the evening about the tense situation in Iran and Iraq," Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.

The leaders also discussed the current situation in Libya and efforts to end the conflict in this North African country, the spokesman added.

Ties between the United States and Iran hit a new low last Friday after Trump ordered a strike on top Iranian commander Qaseem Soleimani in Iraq, which also killed a leader of the Iraqi militia. The two rivals have been engaged in a war of words that prompted global powers to ask for restraint.