Germany Questions Legality of U.S. Attacks on Iran

(MENAFN) Germany voiced serious reservations on Thursday over whether the US-led assault on Iran aligns with international law, as Berlin's top diplomat called on Washington to chart a clear path toward regional stability.

Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, speaking to a public broadcaster, stopped short of condemning Tehran's leadership but stressed that the broader principle of a rules-governed global order must not be sacrificed.

"I want to tell you that I have considerable doubts about this," Klingbeil told the broadcaster.

While making clear he held no sympathy for Iran's rulers, Klingbeil argued that Europe — and Germany in particular — had a vital stake in upholding international norms. He added he would not shed any tears for the leadership in Tehran "and yet, as Germany, we, Europeans in particular, should have a great interest in ensuring that a rules-based order, that norms and rules are upheld in this world."

Klingbeil pressed Washington to define its endgame, noting that conflicting objectives had been floated in recent days even as the wider region teetered on the edge of broader conflict. He warned of a mounting threat of a conflagration and demanded accountability from Washington.

"And now it is also the responsibility of the Americans to restore calm," he said.

The Vice Chancellor urged all parties to urgently return to diplomacy. "This is a responsibility that everyone in the region bears," he added.

The remarks drew a contrast with the position staked out earlier by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who on March 1 had expressed backing for the US and Israeli strikes, while simultaneously acknowledging the legal and strategic ambiguities they raised.

"We see a dilemma here. International legal measures and steps we've repeatedly pursued for decades have been clearly ineffective against a regime that is developing nuclear weapons and brutally oppressing its own people," Merz said.

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