Germany will not participate in any military mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continue, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday, rejecting pressure from Washington for allies to step up involvement.
The announcement came after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States was in communication with European and Middle Eastern allies, urging them to increase efforts to assist in ensuring safe passage through the strategic waterway.
Leavitt claimed that securing the Strait of Hormuz serves the interests of U.S. allies more than those of the United States itself.
Merz made Germany's position unequivocal, stating that his country still has serious reservations about the conflict and would have advised against the path taken by the U.S. and Israel. As long as the war continues, he stressed, Germany will not take part in any mission to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, pointing to the absence of any UN mandate, EU consensus or NATO authorization to justify such involvement.
The Chancellor also warned that turmoil in global energy markets underscores the urgent need for regional peace, emphasizing that the war serves no one's interests — including those of the United States.
Later that day, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot held a joint press conference in Berlin, addressing the escalating situation in the Middle East. They warned that the conflict carries significant risks of further escalation, potentially impacting not only regional stability but also the global situation. Both ministers stressed that external military intervention can hardly bring about stable political transformation, urging dialogue as the path to de-escalation.
The German government has grown increasingly concerned over the widening conflict. Officials fear that the war could trigger spillover effects, introducing new uncertainties to regional security while driving up energy prices, a development that would ultimately weigh on Germany's economic recovery.
Germany rules out joining Strait of Hormuz mission amid Iran conflict
The assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, further destabilizes Iran's political system and complicates prospects for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict, said experts on Wednesday in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed on Tuesday that Ali Larijani had been killed. He was the target of an Israeli airstrike, which also killed his son and others.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the killing of Larijani is a major loss to the country.
According to experts on the region, Larijani was a key figure who might have brought about a political resolution to the war.
"The system is going to lose a figure that was able to be pragmatic, diplomatically experienced, and capable also of making the internal case for engagement when needed," said Matteo Capasso, professor of Middle East Studies at China's Northwest University.
Larijani served as Iran's nuclear negotiator, parliamentary speaker, and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, all the while bridging moderates and hardliners.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the killing of Larijani was an effort to weaken Iran's leadership.
Experts, however, said it is a tactic to disrupt the internal order of Iran.
"This would lead to a very (significant) political power vacuum inside Iran. This would endanger the political stability inside the country. So, that's why I don't think it would be an easy task for Iran to overcome the difficulties, although we hope that the political instability could be overcome. But I think it would be a political challenge for Iranian people that they need to face in the future," said Wang Jin, director of the Center of Strategic Studies at Northwest University.
Iran said it has identified three to seven backup candidates for key government and military positions, but the continued attacks targeting Iranian senior officials have pushed the war further from reaching a deal.
"With every assassination and every agreement being broken and every bomb, this puts the U.S. in a situation where it really needs to decide how far they are willing to go in order to allow Israel to impose its vision on the region," said Capasso.
Killing of Larijani dims prospects for diplomatic solution to Iran conflict: experts
