German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier grimly forecast a “deep rift” growing with traditional NATO ally the United States on Tuesday, slamming U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran as a “breach of international law.”
AFP reports the ceremonial head of state said just as there was no going back from Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “there will be no going back to before January 20, 2025”, when U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
“The rift is too deep and the trust in American power politics has been lost, not only among our allies but… worldwide,” he said at a Berlin event to mark the 75th anniversary of the German foreign ministry.
Although Steinmeier’s role is largely ceremonial, AFP notes his words carry weight in Germany, which has not officially condemned Operation Epic Fury and its attacks against Iran.
He spoke less than 48-hours after Israel warned that Iran’s missiles could reach Berlin, as Breitbart News reported.
Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, said: “Our foreign policy does not become any more convincing simply because we do not call a breach of international law a breach of international law.”
He stressed the U.S.-Israel war against the Islamist Iranian regime was, “in my view, in breach of international law.”
“There is little doubt that, in any case, the justification of an imminent attack on the U.S. does not hold water,” he added, per the AFP report.
He further urged urged his country to become more independent of the U.S., both in terms of defense and technology, arguing autonomy is necessary to prevent Trump administration interference in his country’s domestic politics.
Steinmeier finally dismissed the Iran military campaign as “a politically disastrous mistake” and “a truly avoidable, unnecessary war” that defied the international rule of law which Germany acts to strictly obey at all times.
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