BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany would not participate in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
"We lack the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or NATO required under the Basic Law. It was therefore clear from the outset that this war is not a matter for NATO," Merz said at a news conference in Berlin.
"The United States of America and Israel did not consult us prior to this war either. As for Iran, there has never been a joint decision on the 'whether' of the matter. That is why the question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise," he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain would not be drawn into a wider war in Iran but would work with allies on a "viable collective plan" to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz, though he acknowledged that would not be a simple task.
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US President Donald Trump has heavily criticised Starmer for not initially supporting the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, and said at the weekend that Britain, China, France, Japan and South Korea should send warships to the region to reopen the waterway.
Starmer told a press conference that reopening the strait was the only way to stabilise energy markets, and that he was talking to allies in Europe, the Gulf and the US on a plan to secure freedom of navigation.