Iranian FM slams German chancellor over nuclear negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded to a statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

“Germany was once the engine of Europe’s progress; now it has turned into an engine of regression,” Araghchi wrote on his X account.

Germany was once the engine of Europe’s progress; now it has turned into an engine of regression.

Last September in New York, at Merz’s insistence, the E3 put an end to their role in nuclear negotiations by pursuing the return of UN sanctions on Iran. Now, Merz is begging to be… https://t.co/Stpjb9agnv

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) February 5, 2026

“Last September in New York, at Merz’s insistence, the E3 put an end to their role in nuclear negotiations by pursuing the return of UN sanctions on Iran. Now, Merz is begging to be allowed back into the same negotiations.

We Iranians have unfortunately been faced with several other examples of Merz's political naivety and distasteful character.

When Israel killed more than 1,000 Iranians in June 2025, he expressed exuberance.Merz has also publicly daydreamed about Iran supposedly being weeks away from collapse.

Germans are a great people who have contributed to humankind with their hard work and ingenuity. Iran has always welcomed strong relations with Germany. It is therefore doubly regrettable that an individual such as Mr. Merz now represents Germany on the world stage.

We hope that more mature and honourable political leadership will return to Germany,” the post by Iranian FM reads.

By Vafa Guliyeva