Ankara, July 8 (dpa/GNA) – German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has called for an agreement with Tehran to end the fighting in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire with Iran was “over”, following renewed hostilities.
“We must reach an agreement with Iran that permanently ends its nuclear programme, and permanently reopens the Strait of Hormuz,” Merz said on Wednesday, after two days of consultations with NATO leaders, including Trump.
Trump had informed NATO leaders during their summit dinner on Tuesday evening, that he had ordered new strikes on Iran, Merz said.
The US military said its forces targeted more than 80 sites in Iran, in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait came under attack and air raid warnings sounded in Bahrain on Wednesday morning, after Iranian state media reported that a new barrage of missiles had been fired at the island nation.
The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month, reaffirming a ceasefire agreed in April and facilitating further talks to reach a permanent end to the war. Iran breaching the deal justified Washington’s response, Merz said. “We should nevertheless do everything we can, including ourselves, to reach an agreement with Iran that is sustainable and, above all, ensures that the guns fall silent in the region for the long term,” the German chancellor said.
GNA