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Germany intensified its diplomatic efforts on Sunday as Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned of a looming regional catastrophe in the Middle East, calling for immediate de-escalation and humanitarian access amid growing fears of a broader war.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a phone call on Sunday morning with the Sultan of Oman, Sheikh Haitham bin Tariq, to address the escalating crisis in the Middle East. According to a spokesperson for the German government, both leaders emphasised the urgent need to prevent further expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed their joint commitment to seeking a peaceful resolution through diplomatic means.
The call comes as tensions in the region continue to rise, prompting international concern over the potential for wider conflict.
In a related development, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, currently on a diplomatic tour in the region, issued a stark warning during an interview with Tagesschau on Saturday evening. He cautioned that the Middle East faces a “serious risk of full-scale escalation” and urged all parties involved to demonstrate the highest level of political responsibility to avoid further violence.
Wadephul stressed that Germany, alongside France and the United Kingdom, is prepared to engage in dialogue with Iran regarding its nuclear programme. “The situation in the region is highly volatile,” he said. “Further escalation would have unimaginable consequences. What this region needs is peace, not the intensification of military conflict.”
He further warned that unchecked conflict could engulf the region and pose direct risks to European stability and security.
Turning to the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Wadephul described conditions there as "unacceptable," highlighting the urgent need for aid. “Hunger, death, and suffering must come to an end,” he said, calling on the Israeli government to allow full and immediate access for humanitarian organisations. He underlined that this appeal reflects not only Germany’s stance but that of the broader international community.
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow earlier this week to warn Russia against attacking NATO, dismissing them as "scare stories," which had nothing to do with reality.
Indonesia deployed thousands of security personnel around parliament and other major cities on Thursday as students returned to the streets, one year after nationwide anti-government protests left 10 people dead.
Thousands of Russians are hunting for apartments in Tbilisi and Yerevan - not because of a mobilisation order that's been signed, but because of one many fear is coming.
Poland has asked the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291.3 million) fine on Meta, accusing the technology company of failing to adequately tackle fraudulent advertisements on its platforms.
Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has died, according to a United Nations official.
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