Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman Chancellor urges G7 unity to address Israel-Iran tensions, focusing on nuclear threats, diplomacy, and economic sanctions.
By Andreas Rinke
BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday he hoped agreement could be reached on four points at an upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in pursuit of a resolution to the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Speaking as he prepared to fly to Canada for the meeting, Merz said he expected the Middle East conflict to be high on the agenda and that he hoped the G7 could demonstrate unity.
The four points were: that Iran cannot develop or posses nuclear weapons; that Israel has the right to defend itself against existential threats, which he said Iran's nuclear programme represented; thirdly, the conflict should not escalate; and fourthly that scope for diplomacy must be created.
"I would like to add that in Germany we are also getting ready in case Iran should target Israeli or Jewish targets in Germany," Merz told reporters, without going into more detail.
Merz said the war in Ukraine would also be discussed by the G7 and that more pressure needs to be put on Russia to bring it to the negotiating table. To that end, European leaders wanted to agree new sanctions on Moscow at the end of this month, he said.
Merz said economic issues would also be on the agenda and said efforts would be directed towards reaching an agreement over tariffs following the Trump administration's decision to impose them on its key trade partners earlier this year.
(Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Holmes)
Merz hoped that agreement could be reached on four key points regarding the Israel-Iran conflict and that the G7 could demonstrate unity.
The four points include that Iran cannot develop or possess nuclear weapons and that Israel has the right to defend itself against existential threats posed by Iran's nuclear program.
In addition to the Middle East conflict, Merz mentioned that the war in Ukraine would also be a significant topic, with a focus on increasing pressure on Russia.
Merz indicated that economic issues, including reaching an agreement over tariffs, would be on the agenda, particularly in light of previous tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Merz stated that Germany is preparing in case Iran targets Israeli or Jewish locations within the country, although he did not provide further details.
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