From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Germany’s Merz: Israeli campaign in Lebanon could jeopardize Iran peace talks
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The continued Israeli military campaign in Lebanon could jeopardize peace talks expected between the United States and Iran over the war in the Middle East, says German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We view the situation in southern Lebanon with particular concern,” Merz says. “The severity with which Israel is waging war there could cause the peace process as a whole to fail, and that must not be allowed to happen.”
Merz says Germany has resumed talks with Iran after a fragile truce was reached between Iran and the US that could lead to peace negotiations.
“After a long period [of] silence, which we had serious reasons for, we are now as a government restarting talks with Tehran,” Merz tells reporters, adding that this is being done “in coordination with the United States and our European partners.”
Merz also says that he does not want the US-Iran war to place any further strain on relations between the United States and its European NATO partners.
“We do not want – I do not want – NATO to split. NATO is a guarantor of our security, including and above all in Europe,” he says.
He adds that he has encouraged US President Donald Trump in a call to pursue negotiations with Iran with urgency.
The Times of Israel Community.