From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Germany’s Merz urges Iran to ‘truly enter talks’ with US, says there’s ‘great fear of military escalation’
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urges Iran’s leadership to “truly enter talks” on the eve of their planned negotiations with US envoys, saying there is a “great fear of military escalation in the region.”
Speaking to reporters in the Qatari capital Doha, Merz says Iran has to “stop its nuclear program” and avoid “further military threats” to Israel and other countries in the region.
“Talks will therefore be intensified in the next hours,” Merz says, adding that Germany is “coordinating closely” with the US.
Merz is currently on a three-day visit to the region, where he has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and will later head to the United Arab Emirates.
Merz also responded to comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in which he attacked Merz’s “political naivete and distasteful character,” recalling that Merz had described Israel’s June 2025 attack on Iran’s nuclear and military sites as doing the “dirty work… for all of us.”
Araghchi called Germany an “engine of regression” in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“I have seen this tweet and can only say it seems to be a sign of great nervousness and insecurity,” Merz says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.