German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes the Iranian regime is in its final days during a press conference in Bangalore, India, on Tuesday.
“If a regime can only cling to power through violence, then it's effectively over anyway,” Merz said. “I believe that we are currently witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime.”
The German leader added that Iran’s regime “has no legitimacy from popular elections anyway. The people are now rising up against this regime. I hope there is a way to end this conflict peacefully. The mullah regime must realize this now.”
Merz added that Germany was coordinating closely with the US on the matter.
Additionally, Merz made a post on Twitter/X calling on Iran to stop using violence against its own people, saying it reflects weakness rather than strength, and warned that further sanctions are being prepared.
"We call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threaten it. The regime’s violence against its own people is not a sign of strength, but of weakness. It must end immediately. To underscore this message, we are working on further EU sanctions," Merz posted.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the regime’s violence against protesters.
“I condemn the state violence that blindly strikes Iranian women and men who courageously demand respect for their rights,” Macron wrote on X/Twitter.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also published a similar statement on the social media platform, calling the regime’s crackdown “horrific.”
“The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific,” she wrote. “I have spoken to [Iranian] Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”
Germany's Merz concerned about strong political influence on central banks
While speaking in India on Tuesday, Merz also expressed concern about how strong the political influence on central banks around the world is becoming, saying that it was paramount that they are allowed to operate independently.
"I have been concerned for some time now, not just for the last few days or weeks, about how strong the political influence on central banks around the world is becoming," said Merz during a trip to the Indian city of Bengaluru.
"For good reasons, we in Europe, including Germany, have always considered the independence of the central bank to be of paramount importance. I hope that this will remain the case."