Germany calls on Iran to ‘act urgently’ for diplomatic solution

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday called on Iran to take urgent steps toward a diplomatic solution to end the escalating conflict with Israel.

At a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart in Berlin, Wadephul emphasized that while Germany, France, and the UK (E3 countries) stand ready to contribute to a diplomatic solution, Tehran must take the necessary first steps.

“Together with my French and British counterparts, as well as with the EU’s foreign policy chief, we held a telephone conversation with the Iranian foreign minister on Monday and made a clear proposal. We as the E3 remain ready to negotiate a solution,” Wadephul said.

“But Iran must act urgently to achieve this. Iran must take verifiable, confidence-building measures—specifically by demonstrating that Tehran's leadership does not seek nuclear weapons. It's never too late to come to the negotiating table with honest intentions," he stressed.

Wadephul reiterated Germany's support for Israel, stating that the Israeli government's concerns about Iran's nuclear armament were "justified" and that its airstrikes against Iran were "understandable."

However, he condemned Iran for carrying out retaliatory attacks, and underlined that the common position of Western nations is that “the Iranian regime must never acquire nuclear weapons.”

Regarding reports of potential US involvement in Israel's airstrikes against Iran, the German foreign minister said he sees no indication of such involvement based on official statements, unless Iran were to militarily target US forces or assets in the region.

“The statements made by the US have been clear on this matter. Specifically, our colleague Marco Rubio stated right at the beginning of the hostilities that the US would not intervene militarily in this conflict,” Wadephul said. "Given my high regard for my colleague, and his repeated statements on this, I believe this remains accurate and that this is the position of the United States of America,” he added.

Wadephul also warned that if Iran targets any US military facilities in the region, this would clearly trigger a military response from the Americans.

When asked about reports that Israel was seeking regime change and potentially targeting Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the German foreign minister downplayed such a scenario.

“My Israeli colleague has explained to me several times that Israel's goals are aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and are also directed at their long-range missile program, and that Israel has no other goals in Iran,” he said.