Politics
Trump Is Being ‘Humiliated’ By Iran And US Has No Exit Plan, Friedrich Merz Says
Germany’s chancellor has declared America is being “humiliated” by Iran over negotiations to end the war in the country and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Friedrich Merz said he “can’t tell what strategic exit the Americans are pursuing” exactly two months after the conflict began.
A ceasefire is currently in place, but there is little prospect of an imminent peace deal being reached.
Meanwhile, the key waterway the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, while the US is blockading Iran’s ports.
Donald Trump last week called off planned peace talks which had been due to be held between American and Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, insisting they were a waste of time.
Posting on Truth Social, he said: “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call.”
But Merz said: “At the moment I can’t tell what strategic exit the Americans are pursuing, especially since the Iranians are obviously negotiating very skilfully, or perhaps very skilfully refusing to negotiate, and are letting the Americans travel to Islamabad only to send them back home empty-handed.
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so called Revolutionary Guards.”
Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s highly-respected chief international correspondent, has said any peace deal “will take a long time” to be reached because “neither side wants to back down”.
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