Merz: Responsibility for ending the war lies with Iran
The chancellor sees no sign at the moment of any rapid end to the reciprocal attacks in the Middle East. However, he stressed which side needed to make the first move.
Berlin (dpa) - Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that responsibility for ending the Iran warlies with the leadership in Teheran. “The sooner the mullah regime stops, the sooner this war will be over,” he said in Berlin. “It is the sole responsibility of this regime and the so-called Revolutionary Guard to cease hostilities.” He said that until this happened, he would work on the assumption that Israel and the US would continue “their defence” against Iran because the threat it posed stretched far beyond the country and the region itself.
Merz said he had talked with regional leaders at the weekend. “That said, it is impossible to say just now when the mullah regime might be willing to cease hostilities against its neighbours.” He added that the threat to Israel and to the Gulf states remained, as evidenced on a daily basis by attacks on civilian buildings and military facilities.
The chancellor emphasised: “Iran is the centre of international terrorism, and this centre must be shut down. And the Americans and the Israelis are doing it in their own way.”
