German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded that Iran end the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. He stated this at a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Berlin on September 15, the Turkish "Anadolu Ainasy" news agency reports.
"Iran must eventually end this blockade. In particular, he must stop his nuclear weapons program. Tehran's support for proxy forces throughout the region must stop. We also urge Iran to prevent the conflict from spreading further to Iraq", Merz said.
He also called for stopping Iran's military nuclear program, which, according to him, Berlin considers a direct threat to regional and global security.
Merz said Berlin supports the Iraqi government's initiative to disarm Iranian-backed militias, as well as its efforts to establish peace and security.
He also drew attention to the events in The Red Sea, where the Houthis expanded control along the coast of Yemen and captured the island of Mayun in the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb.
"The Houthis are now controlling strategic positions around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and attacking energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. This further aggravates the situation in the international energy markets. The international community cannot allow the Houthis to hold hostage the maritime movement in The Red Sea. We are consulting within the European Union and with partners in the region about the contribution that we can make together to end this conflict", Merz further said.
Answering a question about the future of the German military advisory and training mission in Merz noted that it ends this month, but Berlin, according to him, will be ready to continue cooperation in other forms.
" This military presence ends on September 30th, two weeks later, at the request of Iraq, a decision that we, of course, respect. Nevertheless, we are ready to continue our military cooperation if there is such a desire, and we remain ready to provide support to Iraq in accordance with the wishes of the government regarding what future interaction may look like," Merz concluded.