'US Has No Strategy, Being Humiliated By Iran': German Chancellor Calls For Quick End To War

Last Updated:April 27, 2026, 18:18 IST

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iranians are "negotiating very skilfully" and "clearly stronger than one thought", while the US had no effective exit strategy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday called for an urgent end to the war in West Asia, delivering a sharp criticism of the US strategy in the conflict and saying it was being “humiliated" by Iran. His remarks came as the US-Iran peace talks remained stalled after nearly two months.

While speaking to students at Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz said, “The Americans clearly have no strategy, and the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq."

Iran ‘Clearly Stronger Than Thought’

He called the US operation “ill-considered" and said he could not see an effective exit strategy by Washington, while Iranians were negotiating very skillfully. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian state leadership, particularly through these so-called Revolutionary Guards," he said.

Merz said Europe had been willing to work together to get the Strait of Hormuz open again, and Germany had sent minesweeper boats to clear the passage from mines. He emphasised that the war has to end soon.

“At the moment, I do not see how this can be realised in the near future because the Iranians are clearly stronger than one thought and the Americans clearly don’t seem to have a convincing negotiating strategy. I am sorry to have to say it but at the moment it is a pretty tricky situation," he added.

Merz further said the war was costing Germany a lot of money and having a direct negative effect on the economy.

Notably, the German Chancellor had earlier been supportive of the US operation against Iran, saying the regime’s “days were numbered" during widespread protests in the Islamic Republic. Merz also threw his weight behind Italy’s push to have the European Union designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation.

US-Iran Talks Stalled

Hopes of a quick end to the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has upended the global economy and increased oil prices, were dashed after US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Despite the setback, diplomatic channels appear active. The Fars news agency reported that Iran sent “written messages" to the Americans through Pakistan, outlining red lines on key issues such as its nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted supplies of oil, gas, and fertiliser, driving up prices and heightening concerns over food insecurity in developing nations. The US has attempted to increase pressure on Iran by imposing a blockade around Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

(with Reuters inputs)

News world 'US Has No Strategy, Being Humiliated By Iran': German Chancellor Calls For Quick End To War

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