German Chancellor Draws Fire Over Iran Comments Echoing Nazi-Era Rhetoric

According to Saed News, Tehran has condemned recent statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other senior officials as morally bankrupt and historically insensitive, following their defense of Israel’s military campaign against Iran. At a press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei lashed out at Berlin’s position, particularly Merz’s claim that Israel was doing the "dirty work" on behalf of others in striking Iran.

“Everybody knows what that word means,” Baqaei stated, referring to the phrase "dirty work," which he argued evokes disturbing parallels with language once used to rationalize Adolf Hitler’s atrocities. “I didn’t think that the German chancellor might use the terms that were employed to justify Hitler’s actions,” he added, calling on German authorities to explain their use of such language, which he described as “rubbing salt in the wound of Iranians.”

Baqaei also criticized the German interior minister’s recent visit to the occupied Palestinian territories and expressed alarm at Berlin’s deepening ties with what he termed the Zionist regime. He asserted that by attempting to legitimize Israel’s aggressive actions as necessary or strategic, Germany and France have positioned themselves as “historic accomplices” to what he described as war crimes.

He further warned that such one-sided positions undermine the European Union’s credibility and moral standing on the global stage.

The remarks come in the wake of a major conflict that erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a 12-day offensive targeting Iran’s military, nuclear, and residential sites. The United States followed suit on June 22, attacking three Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.

In response, Iranian forces carried out immediate and forceful counterattacks. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force launched 22 waves of missile strikes on Israeli targets under Operation True Promise III, reportedly causing significant damage across the occupied territories. Iran also responded to the U.S. intervention by targeting the al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Washington’s largest military installation in the region.

A ceasefire brokered on June 24 has since paused hostilities, but tensions remain high as diplomatic fallout spreads across Europe and the Middle East.