German FM Wadephul demands Iran reopen Strait of Hormuz and abandon nuclear program

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demanded on Sunday that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and fully abandon its nuclear weapons program. He made the demands in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The call came as diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran showed little sign of progress.

What did Germany's foreign minister demand over the Strait of Hormuz?

Wadephul called on Iran to completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He framed the demands as consistent with those of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that Germany, as a close U.S. ally, shares the same goal. "I emphasized that Germany supports a negotiated solution," he wrote in a post on X.

Why is Germany involved in the Iran war negotiations?

Germany's push on the Strait of Hormuz issue comes alongside a broader effort by Wadephul and other German officials to repair a diplomatic rift with Washington. The dispute began on April 27, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran was "humiliating" the United States at the negotiating table. The comment drew a sharp reaction from the Trump administration.

The U.S. announced it would move 5,000 troops from military bases in Germany and that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union would rise from 15 percent to 25 percent. Trump accused the EU of failing to comply with a trade deal signed last summer, even as the agreement was still moving through the bloc's legislative process. German carmakers stood to be among the hardest hit by the new tariffs.

What is the current state of Iran peace negotiations?

Efforts to end the conflict have made little apparent progress since a ceasefire took effect in early April. Trump said he would review a new plan submitted by Tehran but stated he "can't imagine that it would be acceptable," adding that Iran has "not yet paid a big enough price." Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded on Sunday by saying the US must choose between "an impossible operation or a bad deal."

Merz and other European leaders have expressed particular concern about the economic consequences of the Strait of Hormuz closure. Before the war began, roughly a fifth of global oil supplies passed through the waterway. Its continued closure has disrupted energy markets and added urgency to Germany's diplomatic engagement with Tehran.