Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking in India, said a government that relies on force is “effectively finished” and declared Iran’s rulers in their “final days and weeks.”
- Germany is consulting with the United States and European partners, as EU leaders discuss tougher measures and backers in Berlin press for listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
- President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on countries that continue trading with Iran and said the U.S. is weighing responses to the crackdown.
- Rights groups report hundreds killed and thousands detained since protests that began over a collapsing currency expanded into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations under a sustained internet blackout.
- Iran rejects assertions of weakening control, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly rebuking Merz and accusing Germany of hypocrisy, underscoring deepening diplomatic tensions.