UPDATE - German chancellor reaffirms support to US-Israeli attacks on Iran

UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS BY GERMAN CHANCELLOR MERZ

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday expressed support for the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, while acknowledging concerns about their legitimacy and the uncertainty of what will happen next.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Merz accused the Iranian government of repressing its own population, supporting terror organizations for decades, destabilizing the region, and threatening other nations with its nuclear program and long-range missiles.

“The German government therefore shares the relief felt by many Iranians that this mullah regime is now coming to an end,” Merz said. “We share the interest of the United States and Israel in seeing an end to this regime's terror and its dangerous nuclear and ballistic weapons program,” he added.

The conservative leader acknowledged concerns about the legality of the military strikes under international law, but contended that years of diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions have proven fruitless.

"We see a dilemma here," Merz said. "International legal measures and steps we've repeatedly pursued for decades have been clearly ineffective against a regime that is developing nuclear weapons and brutally oppressing its own people."

The German chancellor also admitted the growing risks in the region following these military strikes and the uncertainty of what comes next.

“We do not know whether the plan to bring about political change from within through military strikes will succeed. The internal dynamics in Iran are difficult to understand,” Merz said. “The comparison with Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya is only partially valid, but it does show how real the risks are in the medium term. We in Europe and Germany would also be affected by the consequences.”

- Germany steps up security measures

Chancellor Merz also announced German authorities are strengthening security measures to protect US and Israeli facilities in Germany — as well as Iranian opposition figures — against potential threats from Iranian intelligence.

"We know that Iranian intelligence services are active in Europe and Germany," he said, adding that police and security authorities were on high alert and taking all necessary measures.

"We are doing everything we can to guarantee public safety," Merz said. "This applies in particular to the protection of Jewish, Israeli and American institutions. We will not tolerate antisemitic or anti-American attacks on German soil."

He said security authorities briefed him on the latest threat situation, but added there was no evidence of a very high level of danger at present.