German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for Iran to return to negotiations in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel to avoid further escalation, reports Al Jazeera.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Berlin, Merz said Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear armament had “caused enough harm”.
“Iran must not further escalate the conflict over its nuclear program,” he said. “We will do our part to stabilise the situation in the region.”
In comments from the Austrian leader, Stocker said the ceasefire between Iran and Israel was an “important first step” that needed to be followed by diplomacy, and called on Iran to continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The monitoring mechanism must not be disabled, as that would represent another step towards uncertainty,” he said. On Thursday, Iran’s Guardian Council ratified legislation to suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
