German Chancellor Merz: "U.S. Is Being Humiliated by Iran... No Exit Strategy in Sight"
by Lee Hyunwoo
Published 28 Apr.2026 06:07(KST)
Updated 28 Apr.2026 07:12(KST)
"Iran Is Acting Very Shrewdly"
"I Do Not Expect the War to End Soon"
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has issued an unusually strong criticism of the United States regarding the Iran war, stating that the U.S. is currently being humiliated by Iran and that there is no clear exit strategy in sight.
According to Germany's dpa news agency, on the 27th (local time), Chancellor Merz visited a gymnasium (secondary school) in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, where he remarked, "The United States is being humiliated by Iran and has no strategy to bring the war to a close." He added, "In conflicts like these, one must not only know how to start them, but also how to end them. However, at present, there is no indication as to how the Americans might choose a strategic exit."
In contrast, he assessed that Iran is conducting negotiations very shrewdly. Chancellor Merz stated, "The Iranians are behaving very cleverly when it comes to negotiations-more precisely, in their refusal to engage in negotiations," noting that "they are making the Americans travel to Islamabad repeatedly without any tangible results." He continued, "The entire United States is, in effect, being toyed with by Iran's leaders and the so-called Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)."
He went on to say, "This war has driven up energy prices, causing enormous damage to the German economy," and strongly criticized, "The Iranians appear to be stronger than expected, and the Americans seem to lack a convincing negotiation strategy, so I do not expect the war to end early."
Chancellor Merz's criticism is being viewed as highly unusual. Until now, he had refrained as much as possible from criticizing the United States regarding the Iran war. Some foreign media outlets have analyzed that Chancellor Merz's remarks are highlighting the already strained relations between the United States and Europe, which have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, attempted annexation of Greenland, and other issues.
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