BERLIN, 17 March. - (ANA) - The war in the Middle East started by US-Israeli strikes on Iran has "nothing to do with NATO" and is "not NATO's war", German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's spokesman said on Monday.

 

US President Donald Trump on Sunday called for nations including South Korea, France, China and Britain to help ensure safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has declared closed to US and US-allied traffic.

 

He later upped the pressure on NATO allies, telling the Financial Times newspaper that the alliance faced a "very bad" future if its members did not do their bit to reopen the strait.

 

"NATO is an alliance for the defence of territory" and "the mandate to deploy NATO is lacking" in the current situation, Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius told a regular press briefing.

 

Germany needed to know from Israel and the United States "at what point the military objectives in Iran will have been achieved", a foreign ministry spokesman said at the same briefing. 

 

Merz said on Friday that the Middle East war must end "as soon as possible" as the conflict "benefits no-one and harms many economically, including us".  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/17 March 2026  - - -