German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that he hoped Israel and the United States’ actions in Iran will permanently dissuade Tehran from pursuing its goals for nuclear weapons. “Not only Israel, but also Europe and the world as a whole are threatened by this Iranian nuclear programme,” Merz told lawmakers in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
Speaking ahead of a NATO summit in The Hague this week, Merz warned that the conflict with Iran must not be allowed to plunge the region into war and Berlin was taking all possible diplomatic efforts to that end.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses delegates at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) on June 24, 2025 in Berlin, prior on the upcoming NATO and EU summits.
(Photo: John MacDougal / AFP)
“France urges Iran to engage without delay in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns related to its nuclear and ballistic programs and its destabilizing activities,” the ministry said in a statement.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said he had written to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to propose a meeting and urged cooperation after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced.
Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a post on X that Iran resuming cooperation with the agency could lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
The European Union also called on Iran “to engage seriously in a credible diplomatic process”, an EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said on Tuesday. “This escalation benefits no one, and everybody is concerned by the same thing, which is the spillover effect,” El Anouni said.
