Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned Germany’s ambassador to Tehran, Axel Dittmann, to protest what it called “interventionist and offensive” remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The move came after Merz said at a press conference in Berlin alongside Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan that Iran’s leadership lacks legitimacy and is nearing collapse.
“A regime that can only hold onto power through sheer violence and terror against its own population: its days are numbered,” Merz said.
“It could be a matter of weeks, but this regime has no legitimacy to govern the country,” he added.
His comments came amid renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to consider military action against Iran.
According to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, Alireza Yousefi, director general for Western Europe at the Foreign Ministry, formally conveyed Tehran’s protest to the German envoy during the meeting.
Iranian officials cited Germany’s historical role during the 1980s Iran–Iraq war, including alleged support for Baghdad, as well as Berlin’s failure to pursue accountability over the use of chemical weapons, IRNA reported.
Yousefi also criticised Germany’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict and recent statements by German officials concerning last June’s 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel, arguing that Berlin lacked moral authority to comment on Iran’s domestic affairs.
Relations between Iran and several European countries have deteriorated in recent weeks following protests inside Iran, which European leaders have condemned over the treatment of demonstrators.
Earlier on Thursday, the European Union formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, a decision strongly rejected by Tehran.
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Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed, and three others were injured after two cargo vessels were hit in a drone attack in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike.
The United States has approved the possible sale of five Seahawk maritime helicopters to New Zealand in a deal valued at $1.5 billion, as Wellington moves to strengthen its armed forces.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
Armenians will vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election that will determine whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secures a new mandate to pursue peace with Azerbaijan or cedes ground to pro-Russian rivals.
Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed, and three others were injured after two cargo vessels were hit in a drone attack in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
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A seven-month-old Palestinian baby has been killed and his parents injured after Israeli forces fired at a vehicle in Hebron, Palestinian health officials say.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
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The Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly has concluded in Samarkand, bringing together representatives from 186 countries to set environmental priorities and approve new funding for climate, biodiversity and sustainable development initiatives.
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