04/30/2026April 30, 2026Merz says Iran ‘must come to the negotiating table’ and stop ‘playing for time’
Merz’s comment about Iran ‘humiliating’ the US angered President TrumpImage: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an end to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and said that “if the relevant conditions are met, Germany stands ready to contribute militarily to guarantee the freedom of maritime routes.”
Merz was speaking amid a visit to a military training ground in Münster in Lower Saxony on Thursday with Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil.
He said that he had lobbied at a European Council meeting in Cyprus to “increase the sanctions pressure on Iran, because if Hormuz remains blocked, that has massive economic consequences for all of us.”
“Our message therefore: Iran must come to the negotiating table, it must stop playing for time, it can no longer take the entire region and even the entire world hostage,” Merz said. “The military program of Iran must come to an end. There can be no more strikes against Israel or our partners in the region.”
Dressed in military camouflage gear with a “Merz” nametag, the chancellor said his government was in close contact on these matters with allies, “also and particularly in Washington.”
“We are doing this in a collective transatlantic interest. We are doing it with mutual respect and a fair division of labor. And in this, we are following a clear compass, particularly in these turbulent times: this compass stays pointed to a strong NATO and a reliable transatlantic partnership,” Merz said.
The chancellor has entered damage limitation mode in recent days after comments of his about the US being “humiliated” by Iran over the back-and-forth on negotiations in Pakistan elicited President Donald Trump’s ire in a series of social media posts, including one where he mulled reducing the US military footprint in Germany.
For more of the latest from the crisis in the Middle East, follow our live updates.