German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday he believes Iran’s leadership is in its “final days and weeks” as nationwide protests intensify and challenge the legitimacy of the country’s clerical rulers.
“I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” Merz said during a visit to India, adding that a government that relies on violence to stay in power is effectively nearing its end.
“When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime,” he said.
Protests in Iran, initially triggered by worsening economic conditions, have broadened into calls for the downfall of the Islamic Republic’s leadership, which has ruled since the 1979 revolution.
Merz said Germany was in close contact with the United States and European partners over the situation and urged Tehran to halt its deadly crackdown on demonstrators. He did not comment on Germany’s trade ties with Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country doing business with Iran would face a 25% tariff on trade with the United States.
Germany maintains limited trade relations with Iran despite international restrictions, making Berlin Tehran’s largest trading partner within the European Union. German exports to Iran fell 25% to just under 871 million euros ($1.02 billion) in the first 11 months of 2025, accounting for less than 0.1% of Germany’s total exports, according to data from the federal statistics office seen by Reuters.
