Germany’s Merz says Iran is outmaneuvering the US in stalled talks as negotiations fail and diplomatic hopes fade over deep divisions.
- +Merz Says Iran Is Outmaneuvering US As Talks Fail
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Iran’s leadership is “humiliating the United States” as diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict continue to collapse.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Iran’s leadership is “humiliating the United States” as diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict continue to collapse.
Speaking on Monday during a student event in Marsberg, Merz accused Iranian officials of deliberately stalling negotiations, saying they were allowing US representatives to travel for talks in Pakistan only for discussions to end without results.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said.
Merz added that he could not see a clear exit strategy from Washington, warning that the war in Iran was exposing widening divisions between the United States and its European NATO allies.
He also suggested that European partners were not properly consulted before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, saying he had since raised his concerns directly with US President Donlad Trump
The comments come as hopes of restarting peace talks have weakened following the cancellation of a planned diplomatic visit to Pakistan by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has since travelled to Russia for further consultations after previous rounds of talks in Pakistan and Oman failed to produce progress.
Merz also warned that the conflict was already having significant economic consequences for Germany, citing rising costs linked to instability in global energy supplies and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
He said European nations had offered assistance, including sending German minesweepers to help secure the waterway, which he claimed had been partially mined during the conflict.
The remarks underline growing strain within NATO over the direction of the war, as diplomatic efforts to restore stability in the region continue to falter.
