WANA (Feb 05) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has sharply criticized the anti-Iran positions of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, expressing hope that “more mature, responsible, and honorable political leadership” will once again return to Germany.

 

Reacting on Thursday to recent remarks by Merz, Araghchi wrote in a post on the social media platform X that Germany, once regarded as the engine of Europe’s progress, has now turned into “an engine of regression.”

 

He recalled that in September last year in New York, and at Merz’s insistence, the E3 countries ended their role in nuclear negotiations by pursuing the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran. “Now, Merz is begging to be allowed back into the same negotiations,” Araghchi wrote.

 

The Iranian foreign minister added that Iranians have witnessed several other examples of what he described as Merz’s “political naivety and distasteful character.”

 

He noted that when Israel killed more than 1,000 Iranians in June 2025, Merz expressed “exuberance” and has also publicly claimed that Iran was supposedly only weeks away from collapse.

 

Araghchi stressed that Germans are “a great people” who have contributed significantly to humanity through hard work and ingenuity, adding that Iran has always welcomed strong relations with Germany. “It is therefore doubly regrettable that an individual such as Mr. Merz now represents Germany on the world stage,” he said.

 

Concluding his remarks, the Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that “more mature and honourable political leadership will return to Germany.”