Germany’s Merz raises concern over Iran war: No plan for ‘swift and convincing conclusion’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concerns Tuesday about the ongoing U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
In translated remarks published by Politico, Merz said, “With each day of war, more questions arise.”
“What concerns us most is that there is clearly no common plan for bringing this war to a swift and convincing conclusion,” the German head of state added.
Merz made the remarks alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Berlin over a week after the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran at the end of February. The Iranian military responded with attacks on U.S. military bases in the region.
President Trump signaled this week that conflict in the region could be over “very soon,” but did not provide further details. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also suggested that the Pentagon and Trump have the right to deploy troops to the region if tensions escalate.
The German chancellor had criticized the strikes at their inception, joining the leaders of France and the United Kingdom in a joint letter in the hours after the first attack , urging the countries to cease military operations and a return to the negotiation table.
“We did not participate in these strikes but are in close contact with our international partners including the United States, Israel, and partners in the region,” the leaders wrote in the joint statement. “We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life.”
Merz later said he supported Iranian regime change at the hands of the U.S. and Israel.
Following a meeting with the German chancellor at the White House last week , Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Germany has “been great” and levied criticism toward other European allies, including the U.K. and Spain.
“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” the president said, later adding, “And by the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.”
Merz said on Tuesday that Germany is “concerned that there is clearly no joint plan for bringing this war to an end.
“We have no interest in an endless war,” the chancellor added.
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