A retaliatory strike by Iran against Israel has been expected for days. Now the Chancellor is turning to the new President in Tehran.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has appealed to Iran to prevent further military escalation in the Middle East. The spiral of violence in the region must now be broken, said the SPD politician in a telephone conversation with the new Iranian President Massud Peseschkian, according to a government spokesman. Anything else would pose an incalculable risk to the countries and people in the region.
Scholz expressed his great concern about the danger of a regional conflagration in the Middle East. He made it clear that an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages in the Gaza Strip must now be reached and implemented immediately. “This would be an important contribution to regional de-escalation,” he said.
Since the targeted killing of two leading figures of Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, fears of a conflagration have grown in the Middle East. Iran and its allies in Lebanon had announced massive retaliatory strikes against Israel following the killings. The Israeli armed forces have been on high alert for days.
