German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on 27 April that the United States lacks a clear strategy in its war with Iran and warned that the standoff may not end anytime soon.
The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly don’t have a really convincing strategy,” Merz said during a visit to a school in the German town of Marsberg. – The problem with such conflicts is that it’s not enough to just get into them – you also have to get out. We have seen this painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. Similarly in Iraq.
According to the German chancellor, “the United States entered this conflict without a clear strategy” and this makes it difficult to end the war.
“There is now a very difficult situation and it is costing us a lot. This conflict directly affects our economic performance,” he added.
He also said Germany’s offer to send minesweepers to help open the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table, but the prerequisite is a cessation of hostilities.
Following Iran’s brutal crackdown on domestic protests in January, the German chancellor became the first senior international political figure to say that the Islamic Republic’s use of violence to maintain power was a sign of the end of the regime. After the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he also spoke of the European Union’s willingness to ease sanctions.
This came after Ursula von der Leyen said on 27 April that the lifting of sanctions against Iran was conditional on making “fundamental changes” and that it was “too early” to ease them.