German Chancellor Merz says Iran is ‘humiliating’ US and is ‘skilled at negotiating’

Trump has criticized NATO allies as “cowards” for not joining the fight against Iran

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran is humiliating the United States as ceasefire negotiations have stalled and the conflict appears to have reached a stalemate, adding that he does not see a clear exit strategy.

Speaking to students in the town of Marsberg in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz criticized Iran’s conduct in talks with Washington.

“The Iranians are obviously very skilled ⁠at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said.

“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” he added.

President Trump also criticized European nations and NATO allies for not assisting in the war, calling them “cowards” and describing their lack of support as a “failed” loyalty test.

Separately, Iranian exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, during a visit last week to Berlin, urged Germany to end “decades of dialogue” with the Iranian regime, calling it ineffective in addressing crackdowns, executions, and regional instability.

Diplomatic efforts remain at an impasse. On Monday, the United States rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by Iran that would allow Tehran to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in an interview with Fox News, said Iran’s proposal does not meet international standards for access to the waterway.

“What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open as long as you coordinate with Iran; get our permission or we’ll blow you up, and you pay us,” Rubio said.

“That’s not opening the straits,” he added. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use them.”