German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) held a press conference on the occasion of his visit to Bosch. This is the last stop on his India trip.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that Iran’s embattled regime appeared to be at an end as mass protests continued across the country.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to India, Mertz reiterated his call on Iranian authorities to stop violence against protesters, adding that he hoped for a peaceful end to the escalating crisis.
“If a regime can only maintain power by force, it is effectively at its end. I believe we are now witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime,” Merz said in comments reported by Sky News.
“In any case, there is no legitimacy through popular elections. The people are now revolting against this government,” he added.
Mertz’s comments came as Iran grapples with one of its largest anti-government protests in years.
Although the Iranian government claims the protracted protests are now under control, human rights groups report that hundreds of people have been killed by Iranian security forces in recent weeks.
A spokesperson for the Iranian embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that countries doing business with Iran would face a 25% tariff and has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran if the killings continue.
The demonstrations, which began in Tehran’s bazaar on December 28, were spurred by growing dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the long-running economic crisis, particularly the plummeting national currency and soaring prices.
In a speech on Friday, Iran’s supreme leader slammed anti-government protesters, calling them “vandals” destroying public property on behalf of President Trump.
Ali Khamenei warned on state television that the Iranian government will not tolerate “mercenaries for foreigners,” Reuters reported.
“The Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people. We will not back down in the face of the destroyer,” Khamenei said.
The Trump administration is closely monitoring the situation in Iran.
Iran, a member of OPEC, is a major player in the global oil market.
Crude oil futures rose on Tuesday morning as investors assessed the impact of potential supply disruptions.
Jacob Helberg, the U.S. deputy secretary of state for economic affairs, said the Trump administration is monitoring the situation in Iran “very closely” but has not yet considered how to respond.
“For decades, the Iranian regime has ignored the economy, agriculture, water and power, squandering Iran’s vast wealth on terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons research,” Helberg told CNBC’s “Access Middle East” on Tuesday.
He added: “Ultimately, their future is in the hands of the Iranian people. As President Trump has made clear, the United States will not tolerate carnage in its streets.”
