Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Iran was 'humiliating' the United States by dragging US envoys out to Pakistan for futile peace talks, amid a widening rift between Washington and its European allies over the conflict.
Merz's rebuke
Speaking to students in Marsberg, Merz remarked that the Iranians were 'obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilled at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result'. He added, 'An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.' This unusually abrupt rebuke highlighted the strain over the war.
Strained relations
The lingering Iran crisis continues to strain relations between Washington and its Nato partners. A leaked Pentagon memo reportedly weighed options to punish allies who did not support the US in its mission. Merz, who allowed the US to use Ramstein air base to coordinate strikes on Iran, expressed concerns about Trump's exit strategy. 'If I had known that it would continue like this for five or six weeks and get progressively worse, I would have told him even more emphatically,' Merz said, drawing comparisons to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Peace talks falter
Peace prospects dimmed on Saturday when Trump scrapped plans to send a delegation to Islamabad to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Senior Iranian sources told Reuters that Araghchi had brought a fresh proposal envisioning talks in stages, with the nuclear issue set aside initially. The framework would start with ending the war and providing security guarantees that Washington cannot restart it later, followed by negotiations on the US blockade and the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran seeks to reopen under its control.
Trump said he canceled the visit due to 'too much travel and expense' for what he deemed an inadequate offer. The Iranians 'offered a lot, but not enough,' he stated. Iranian officials had already downplayed the possibility of Araghchi meeting Trump's delegation in Pakistan. Trump later suggested Iran could call him if they wanted to negotiate.
Iran's position
Arriving in Russia to meet Vladimir Putin on Monday, Araghchi wrote on Telegram that Iran was considering Trump's request for negotiations. He told reporters that Trump had requested talks because the US had not achieved any of its objectives. Putin offered Iran his support, stating the country would weather a 'difficult period' and that peace would soon prevail. 'For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region to ensure that peace is achieved as quickly as possible,' Putin said, according to Russian state media. He asked Araghchi to convey a message to new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei that 'Russia, like Iran, intends to continue our strategic relationship'.
Strait of Hormuz disruption
On the water, the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted. Six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been turned back by the US blockade in recent days, while only seven have crossed the strait in the past 24 hours. The blockades stall peace talks and continue to impact global markets.
UK impact
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to chair another COBR meeting this week to discuss the impact. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, warned that the UK could expect to pay more for energy, food, and flights for at least eight months after the conflict ends. 'There's going to be a long tail from this,' he told the BBC. Jones said the government was preparing to secure supplies of carbon dioxide for food producers and breweries, anticipating shortages. 'If there is a problem with jet fuel on holidays and carbon dioxide on beer, the summer might be pretty depressing for people, but we're doing everything we can to make sure that it's not the case,' he added.
