Germanys

German chancellor warns the US risks becoming bogged down in another quagmire similar to Iraq and Afghanistan.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the United States is being “humiliated” in its war with Iran, warning that Washington lacks a clear path out of the conflict as Tehran gains the upper hand.

Speaking to students in the German town of Marsberg on Monday, Merz said the situation has exposed a deeper strategic problem for the US as he drew comparisons with past military debacles.

“The problem with conflicts like this is always you don’t just have to get in – you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,” he said.

Merz said Iranian officials were “obviously negotiating very skilfully” and appeared “clearly stronger than one thought”, adding that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership”, particularly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Merz urged a rapid end to the war, warning that the fallout was already hitting Germany’s economy.

“It is, at the moment, a pretty tangled situation,” he said. “And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output.”

The German leader said Berlin remains ready to deploy minesweepers to help secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global petroleum supplies, but stressed that such steps depend on a cessation of hostilities.

Merz made the comments as concerns are growing across Europe over the wider impact of the conflict, including energy disruptions and economic instability.

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned that nuclear threats continue to shape the security environment, even as Berlin reaffirmed its commitment to nonproliferation.

“As long as nuclear threats against us and our partners continue, we will need a credible deterrent,” he said before meetings at the United Nations on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

France and Germany have recently moved to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, reflecting mounting anxiety in Europe over both the Iran war and broader regional instability.

March 30 (UPI) — The chancellor of Germany and president of Syria on Monday said that their goal is for 80% of Syrian refugees who have fled there to return home in the next three years.

With few details offered, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Ahmed al-Sharaa set an ambitious goal for the majority of the roughly one million people there who sought asylum from the bloody civil war in Syria, The BBC reported.

Merz and Sharaa met Monday to discuss the return of Syrian refugees, while noting they have been a boon to Germany and are not being kicked out.

“Looking ahead over the next three years — as Sharaa has expressed his hope — around 80% of Syrians currently residing in Germany are expected to return to their home country,” Merz said during a press conference.

Sharaa thanked Merz and the country for welcoming Syrians during the civil war and said the country is “proud that Syrians have learned very quickly how to contribute to society.”

He said that his government is working with the German government to “establish a ‘circular’ migration model” that would allow Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria without abandoning the lives they have build in Germany.

Sharaa led forces that pushed former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assd to flee the country in late 2024 after they captured Damascus. His administration is now working to reconstruct and unify the country after 14 years of civil war there.

At the press conference, Merz and Sharaa said that overall conditions in Syria have “fundamentally improved,” a point which German politicians have been debating since the new Syrian president took over, Deutche Weille reported.

Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with top German officials in a visit to Berlin to discuss Syria’s stability, refugees in Germany and German support for reconstruction.