German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday he assumes Iran’s leadership is in its “final days and weeks” as it faces widespread protests.
Demonstrations in Iran have evolved from complaints about dire economic hardships to calls for the fall of the clerical establishment in the Islamic Republic.
Germany’s Chancellor has strongly condemned the Iranian leadership’s crackdown on protests: pic.twitter.com/LM9iIW1slK
“I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” Merz said during a trip to India, questioning the Iranian leadership’s legitimacy.
“When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime.”
As the Islamic Republic commits mass atrocities against the Iranian people, it is cutting internet access and phone lines to hide its crimes.
The U.S. must act now to assess direct-to-cell connectivity and deploy 2025 NDAA-authorized funding to expand internet freedom in Iran. pic.twitter.com/CLjnwzYm1P
— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) January 13, 2026
Merz said Germany was in close contact with the United States and fellow European governments on the situation in Iran, and urged Tehran to end its deadly crackdown on protesters.
He did not comment on Germany’s trade ties with Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the United States.
Germany maintains limited trade relations with Iran despite significant restrictions, making Berlin Tehran’s most important trading partner in the European Union.
German exports to Iran fell 25% to just under 871 million euros ($1.02 billion) in the first 11 months of 2025, representing less than 0.1% of total German exports, according to federal statistics office data seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 12, 2026
Trump weighs response to Iran crackdown, Tehran says communication open with US
Tehran said on Monday it was keeping communication channels with Washington open as U.S. President Donald Trump considered how to respond to Iran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, one of the gravest tests of clerical rule since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Adding to threats of military action, Trump late on Monday announced that any country doing business with Iran, a major oil producer, will face a new tariff of 25% on its exports to the U.S.
“This Order is final and conclusive,” Trump said in a social media post, without providing further detail about the legal authority he would use to impose the tariffs, or whether they would be aimed at all of Iran’s trading partners. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment on Trump’s tariff announcement. Iran, already under heavy U.S. sanctions, exports much of its oil to China, with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India among its other top trading partners.
The Chinese embassy in Washington criticised Trump’s approach, saying China will take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its interests and opposed “any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction.”
Trump has warned Iran’s leaders that the United States would attack if security forces open fire on protesters. On Sunday, he said the U.S. may meet Iranian officials and he was in contact with Iran’s opposition.
