By Andreas Rinke and Kirsti Knolle, Reuters

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a statement at the chancellery after a pensions bill passed Germany's Bundestag, in Berlin on December 5, 2025. The bill, which passed with 319 voting in favour, had become a key point of contention in the government, with Merz having to balance the demands of his leftist SDU coalition partners with younger members of his conservative CDU/CSU alliance. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by John MACDOUGALL has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [at the chancellery ] instead of [at the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any...

Friedrich Merz.
Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL

Underlines deep divisions between US and NATO allies
Iranians ‘very skilful at not negotiating,’ Merz says
Warns over mines, damage to German economy

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday Iran’s leadership was humiliating the United States and getting US officials to travel to Pakistan and then leave without results, in an unusually abrupt rebuke over the conflict.

Merz also said he could not see what exit strategy the US was pursuing in the Iran war – comments that underlined deep divisions between Washington and its European NATO allies, which had already been festering over Ukraine and other issues.

“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said during a talk to students in the town of Marsberg.

“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” he added at the venue in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict. The waterway has remained virtually shut, causing market turmoil and unprecedented disruption in energy supplies.

Merz reiterated that Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the US and Israel started attacking Iran on 28 February, and that he had conveyed his scepticism directly to Trump afterwards.

“If I had known that it would continue like this for five or six weeks and get progressively worse, I would have told him even more emphatically,” Merz said, comparing it to previous US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since Trump scrapped a visit on Saturday by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi travelled to Russia on Monday after failed talks in Pakistan and Oman.

Merz said it was evident the Strait of Hormuz had been at least partially mined.

“We have offered, also as Europeans, to send German minesweepers to clear the strait, which has obviously been mined in part,” he said.

He said the conflict was costing Germany “a lot of money, a lot of taxpayers’ money and a lot of economic strength”.

– Reuters