The Iranian leadership is on track to "humiliate" the US in war, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to him, Tehran is stronger than expected, and Washington clearly does not have a clear strategy.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that the Iranian leadership is on track to "humiliate" the United States in the war that has been going on for nearly two months. Merz noted that the Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and Washington clearly does not have a clear strategy. "I don't see at the moment what strategic outcome the Americans will choose, especially given that the Iranians are clearly very good negotiators - or very good at not negotiating," the chancellor said during a visit to a school in the town of Marsberg in his home region of Sauerland.
Merz added that "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, and in particular by the so-called Revolutionary Guard."
"The problem with conflicts like this is always the same: you have to not only intervene, but also withdraw. We saw this very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq," he added.
How does the war in Iran affect Germany?
According to Merz, the complex situation in the Middle East is already having a strong negative economic impact on Germany. "The situation is quite complicated at the moment," Merz said. "And it's costing us a lot of money." This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economy, he added.
The chancellor said that Germany was sticking to its proposal to deploy minesweepers as part of an international coalition to help open the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's oil supplies pass.
However, Merz added that a prerequisite for this was to end the hostilities first.
Merz: The US and Israel did not ask us about Iran
During his visit to the school, the federal chancellor also stressed that Germany and Europe were not asked about the start of the US and Israeli military actions against Iran.
Merz pointed out that he had already expressed his skepticism to US President Donald Trump twice. According to the Chancellor, the war against Iran was not well thought out.