Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman Stefan Kornelius said on Monday in Berlin that the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran has “nothing to do with NATO” and is not NATO’s war, drawing a clear line
on how far Germany and the alliance intend to go in the conflict, according to Turkiye Today.
Speaking at a regular government press briefing, Kornelius stated that NATO is fundamentally “an alliance for the defence of territory,” and that the mandate to deploy the alliance is simply absent in the current situation. That is a rather pointed and carefully worded reply in order to rebuff pressure from Washington.
Germany’s lack of interest in participating goes further than just words. The German government spokesperson also made clear that Berlin will not participate militarily in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, even as US President Donald Trump has warned allies that refusing to help could mean a “very bad” future for NATO. France 24 reported the same: “As long as this war continues, there will be no participation, not even in any effort to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means.”
Though Germany wants Iran’s nuclear programme stopped, the Bundeswehr, the Luftwaffe and the Deutsche Marine are not going to war.
The Strait of Hormuz is where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes through. Iran effectively closed it around March 1, days after the US-Israeli strikes began on February 28, and oil prices have since surged past $105 a barrel. Germany’s economy, already battered by rising energy costs, has been rattled badly.
Merz himself has walked a careful line throughout. He has expressed political support for the goals of the US-Israeli operation but has simultaneously warned of a “dangerous escalation” with no joint plan in sight.
