Merz: Germany Was Not Consulted on Iran War, and Will Not Join It

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has signalled openness to Germany playing a role in securing the Strait of Hormuz once the current fighting ends, while again making clear that Berlin distanced itself from the US and Israeli decision to go to war against Iran. "If the conditions are right, then we will not shy away from a debate about freedom of navigation, for example in the Strait of Hormuz, after the end of the war," Merz said in a government policy statement to the Bundestag on Wednesday.

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Germany Was Not Consulted

The Chancellor once again distanced himself from the decision taken by the United States and Israel to strike Iran. "We would have advised against taking this course of action in the way it is currently being taken," Merz said. Washington, he noted, had "not consulted us and had not declared European assistance to be necessary." Merz also made clear his scepticism about the war's objectives. "To this day there is no convincing concept of how this operation could succeed," he said, adding that he still had "many questions about this war, unchanged."

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Merz Pushes Back on Trump's NATO Criticism

Merz indirectly addressed criticism from US President Donald Trump, who had expressed frustration that NATO partners were unwilling to participate in a military operation to secure the strategically vital strait. The Chancellor was direct in his response. "We may and we will not shy away from telling our partners honestly where we see things differently and where we have different interests," Merz said. "A partnership must be able to withstand that, otherwise it is not a partnership."

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At the same time, Merz stressed his commitment to a close relationship with the United States. "We do not want this war to become a burden on the transatlantic partnership," he said. "This partnership is one we want , and one we need."

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A Long War Would Threaten European Security

Merz also warned of the serious risks a prolonged war would pose to Europe itself. The Chancellor cautioned against what he described as a "disintegration of Iranian statehood, incidentally a scenario we have already seen in Libya, Iraq and other states in the region."

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Such a scenario "would massively damage us too," he warned. "It would massively affect our security. It would mean negative consequences for our energy supply, and it would potentially also trigger massive migration movements."

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