BERLIN, April 27 (Xinhua) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday criticized the United States for its “planless” military engagement in Iran, adding that the United States “is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
Speaking at the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium, a school in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz expressed his skepticism about Washington’s ability to quickly conclude its war with Iran.
The United States “obviously went into this war without any strategy,” Merz was quoted by the German magazine Spiegel as saying, adding that the Iranian side is negotiating highly skillfully.
“The problem with such conflicts is always: you don’t just have to go in, you also have to get out,” he said.
Merz reiterated Germany’s offer to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and restore global oil supply chains. However, he stressed that Germany will only participate once all combat operations have ceased.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. interests in the Middle East, and a tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz,a key global route for oil and gas shipments.
A ceasefire was achieved on April 8, but Iran and the United States failed to yield an agreement in their talks in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. The United States later imposed its own blockade on the waterway.
The disruptions in the Strait have sharply driven up energy prices, with Brent crude climbing above 107 U.S. dollars per barrel on Monday. ■
