Tehran-IRAF- citing Al Jazeera, Friedrich Merz said on Friday that there is currently no need for an international military to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that Germany does not want to take part in the war against Iran.
Speaking during a visit to Norway, alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, he added that concerns that the United States lacks a clear strategy on how to end the joint war with Israel against Iran have not really been addressed.
Responding to a question about his position regarding a possible mission and Germany’s involvement in the Strait of Hormuz, Merz said:
“Given the current circumstances, I see no reason to consider military protection for maritime routes.”
He stressed:
“Let me state once again very clearly: Germany is not part of this war, and we do not want to become part of it. From this perspective, all our efforts are focused on ending the war.”
Earlier, Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, commented on the potential consequences of an attack on Iran for the Strait of Hormuz and the passage of ships through the waterway, claiming that vessels should “show courage and pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The joint military attack by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was killed, began at dawn on February 28. The attack occurred while indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, mediated by several regional countries, were underway.
Following the start of the joint military aggression by the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran delivered what it described as a decisive, targeted, and proportional response. Within this framework, military and security positions of the Israeli regime in various cities of occupied Palestine, as well as U.S. bases and deployment centers in the region, were targeted with precise missile, drone, and aerial strikes.
Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have emphasized that these operations were carried out within the framework of the inherent right of self‑defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, with the aim of deterrence, preventing the continuation of aggression, and imposing costs on the aggressors. Iran has warned that any continuation or expansion of aggression will be met with a stronger and broader response.
