Germany’s Merz asserts that Iran is causing embarrassment to the US as negotiations reach a standstill
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Iran’s leadership on Monday for humiliating the United States, asserting that U.S. officials were sent to Pakistan only to depart without achieving any results, marking a notably direct condemnation regarding the ongoing conflict.
Merz also expressed that he did not understand the exit strategy the U.S. was pursuing in the Iran war—remarks that highlighted the significant divisions between Washington and its European NATO allies, which had already been simmering over Ukraine and other matters.
“The Iranians demonstrate considerable expertise in the art of negotiation, or perhaps more accurately, in the avoidance of it, allowing the Americans to travel to Islamabad only to depart without any outcome,” he remarked during a discussion with students in the town of Marsberg. “The Iranian leadership, particularly these so-called Revolutionary Guards, is subjecting an entire nation to humiliation.” “I sincerely hope that this situation concludes as swiftly as possible,” he remarked at the venue in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly condemned NATO allies for their failure to deploy their navies to assist in opening the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict. The waterway has effectively been closed, leading to market upheaval and unparalleled disruption in energy supplies.
Merz emphasized that Germans and Europeans were not consulted prior to the U.S. and Israel’s actions against Iran on February 28 and that he expressed his doubts directly to Trump afterward. “If I had known it would escalate like this for five or six weeks, I would have communicated my concerns even more strongly,” Merz remarked, drawing parallels to past U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The prospects for revitalizing peace initiatives have diminished following Trump’s cancellation of a scheduled visit on Saturday by his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi journeyed to Russia on Monday following unsuccessful discussions in Pakistan and Oman.
Merz stated that it was clear the Strait of Hormuz had been at least partially mined. “As Europeans, we have proposed to send German minesweepers to clear the strait, which has clearly been partially mined,” he stated.
He stated that the conflict was draining Germany of “a significant amount of money, a considerable sum of taxpayers’ money, and a great deal of economic strength.”
