On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ruled out German participation in a planned US-led naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz, close to Iran, after the US said it had made a formal request. According to Reuters, Mass said Germany wanted to ease tensions with Iran and everything should be done to avoid an escalation, Mehr News Agency reports.
Expressing frustration about that decision, US Ambassador Richard Grenell to Berlin told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper that Germany had a duty to fulfill. "Germany is the biggest economic power in Europe. This success brings global responsibilities.”
Relations between the United States and Germany have soured since US President Donald Trump took office, due to disagreements on a range of issues from defense spending to trade tariffs, the NordStream 2 gas pipeline and Iran.
While the US is trying to form a coalition against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf, Iran blames the US for rising tensions.
Iran shot down a trespassing US drone last month after it had violated the country’s airspace despite the US claim that the downed drone was flying above international waters.
Iran has stressed that it is the main protector and guarantor of the security in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz and that the security arrangements in the region have to be shaped by the regional countries themselves.
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