Germany’s Merz says US has no strategy in Iran war

Lead

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday delivered an unusually blunt rebuke of the United States' handling of the conflict with Iran, saying Washington appears to lack a clear exit strategy and that Iran's leadership is "humiliating" the US.

Speaking to students in the town of Marsberg, Merz said he did not see what strategic exit the Americans might choose, according to multiple reports. His comments highlight deepening divisions between Washington and its European NATO allies, which have already been strained over Ukraine and other issues.

Coverage comparison

Merz's remarks were reported by Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, the Jerusalem Post, and The Hindu, among others. While outlets broadly agreed on the substance of his statements, they placed different emphasis: some focused on the lack of a US exit strategy, others on the perceived humiliation of the US by Iran's leadership, and still others on Merz's implied criticism of the Trump administration's negotiating approach.

The Guardian, citing Merz, reported that the US is being "outwitted" at the negotiating table, noting that President Donald Trump had canceled a trip by US negotiators to Islamabad for indirect talks with Iran just two days earlier. A previous round in the Pakistani capital two weeks prior, led by Vice President JD Vance, broke up without progress, according to The Guardian.

Deutsche Welle reported that Merz's comments came amid a broader European debate over the conflict's impact, with the chancellor warning that the war was directly affecting Germany's economic output.

Key claims

• Merz said Iran's leadership is "humiliating" the United States, particularly through the actions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to multiple sources including Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and Jerusalem Post.

• Merz questioned the US exit strategy in the conflict, telling students: "The problem with conflicts like this is always you don't just have to get in – you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq," as quoted by Al Jazeera and Jerusalem Post.

• Merz said Iranians are "obviously negotiating very skilfully – or very skilfully not negotiating," a remark reported by The Guardian and Deutsche Welle. He added that Washington's negotiators travel to Islamabad only to "leave again without any result."

• The German chancellor urged a rapid end to the war, saying "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership," per Al Jazeera and other outlets.

• Merz also addressed economic fallout, saying the conflict is "costing us a great deal of money" and has a "direct impact on our economic output," as reported by Al Jazeera.

• A single report from The Guardian said Iran put forward a new proposal on Monday for a ceasefire deal focused on opening the Strait of Hormuz, setting aside discussions on nuclear weapons and sanctions for later. This claim was not corroborated by other sources in the coverage reviewed.

Perspectives

Washington's perspective: The Trump administration has sought to portray the situation positively. A day before Merz's remarks, President Trump told Fox News, "We have all the cards," and said Tehran could "come to us, or they can call us," as cited by The Guardian.

Berlin's perspective: Merz reiterated that Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, and that he had conveyed his skepticism directly to Trump afterwards, according to multiple reports.

Tehran's perspective: Iranian officials have criticized the US blockade of Iranian ports, with Iran's foreign minister calling it "Project Freedom is Project Deadlock," as reported by Deutsche Welle. This claim, however, was carried by a single outlet and not independently verified.

Regional perspective: The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones in the first Iranian attacks on the Gulf state since a ceasefire began, as reported solely by Deutsche Welle. Details of the interception were not confirmed by other sources in the coverage reviewed.

Merz also called on Iran to return to negotiations, writing on social media: "Tehran must return to the negotiating table and stop holding the region and the world hostage: The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz must end." These remarks were reported by Deutsche Welle.

As the conflict continues into its third month, the transatlantic rift over the war's conduct appears to be widening, with European leaders increasingly vocal about the need for a rapid resolution.