German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear weapons program in a recent telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. Wadephul emphasized that Germany supports a negotiated solution and shared the goal set by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – complete and verifiable renunciation of nuclear weapons and immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Efforts to ease tensions between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have been ongoing recently. The spat intensified on April 27 when Merz accused Iran of humiliating Washington at negotiations, leading to a series of angry responses from Washington. In response, the US announced plans to move 5,000 troops from military bases in Germany and increase tariffs on EU car imports from 15% to 25%.
Trump also accused the entire EU bloc of failing to comply with a trade deal signed last summer, despite it going through the legislative process. The new tariffs would hit Germany’s large car industry particularly hard.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has made little progress since the ceasefire in early April, and there are growing concerns over renewed escalation. Trump stated he would review a new plan submitted by Tehran but doubted its acceptability due to Iran not paying enough price for its actions. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that the United States must choose between an impossible operation or a bad deal with Iran.
German Chancellor Merz has been critical of the war and expressed concern over the economic fallout from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies before the conflict began.