"Germany must be held fully accountable": Iran slams German FM over Strait of Hormuz 'mine clearance' remarks

Tehran [Iran], July 7 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Tuesday sharply criticised Germany over remarks by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Berlin of complicity in military aggression against Iran.

In a post shared on X, Baghaei described Wadephul’s comments as “utterly shameful” and alleged that Germany bore responsibility for supporting actions against Iran.

“The German Foreign Minister’s rhetoric on the Strait of Hormuz is utterly shameful — a grotesque distortion of reality that reeks of Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust,” Baghaei wrote.

“Germany must be held fully accountable for its complicity in military aggression against Iran and bear the heavy costs of its active participation in the crime of aggression,” he added.

Baghaei also asserted that Germany could not avoid responsibility through its statements.

“No amount of offensive posturing will allow the Berlin regime to evade responsibility for its role in this illegal war and the war crimes committed against the Iranian people,” he said.

The German Foreign Minister’s rhetoric on the Strait of Hormuz is utterly shameful — a grotesque distortion of reality that reeks of Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust.

Germany must be held fully accountable for its complicity in military aggression against Iran and bear the heavy… pic.twitter.com/pA1SUnyD4p

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) July 6, 2026

His remarks came after German FM Wadephul on Monday said that Iran should bear the cost of clearing mines from international shipping routes, accusing Tehran of unlawfully laying mines in a key maritime corridor, Al Jazeera reported.

“We do not need to offer Tehran anything at all; quite the contrary: Iran has unlawfully mined an international shipping lane,” Wadephul had told a newspaper, Al Jazeera reported.

He added that although Germany is not currently planning to charge Iran for mine clearance operations, “it would be justified” for Tehran to pay the costs “since we would be remedying damage caused by the regime”.

Meanwhile, last week, Wadephul met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, where the two welcomed the agreement between the US and Iran to halt mutual attacks and continue negotiations.

Also, Tehran has denied reports of any imminent bilateral negotiations with the US, with Baghaei saying no talks were scheduled at any level in the coming days. He said an Iranian expert delegation would travel to Doha to follow up on the implementation of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the US would either reach a deal with Iran or “finish the job,” while claiming the US had the capability to destroy Iran’s critical infrastructure if necessary.

Trump said he preferred diplomacy but warned that Washington could cripple Iran’s bridges, energy infrastructure and power-generation facilities “in a small part of an afternoon.”

Iran has repeatedly condemned Trump’s remarks. Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Armenia criticised the US President over comments suggesting Washington could eliminate Iran’s surviving leadership, accusing the United States of lacking “civilisation, history, nor honour.” (ANI)

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