German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday. During the call, Wadephul stressed that Germany supports a “negotiating solution”. The German minister also affirmed that, like the United States, Germany shares the goal of seeing Iran fully and verifiably abandon its nuclear weapons capabilities and immediately release the Strait of Hormuz.
This strong alignment with US policy parallels the statements made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Wadephul.
The remarks come in a period requiring Germany to manage its relationship with Washington. This careful political posture is necessitated by previous tensions, specifically a reported disagreement between US President Donald Trump and CDU candidate for Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz had previously stated that the United States lacked a clear strategy regarding the conflict with Iran, remarks that reportedly angered Trump and culminated in the announcement of the withdrawal of 5,000 US soldiers from Germany.