Germany news: Merz says US has 'no convincing plan' in Iran

Germany is trying to maintain a careful diplomatic balance with US President Donald Trump as tensions over the Iran war spread across Europe.

Before this week's EU summit, Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated that Germany and its European allies will not join the US-Israeli war effort. But he also signaled that Berlin may help secure the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict ends.

"If the conditions are right, we will not close ourselves off to a discussion about free navigation once the war has ended... We will intervene where we have national competence and see room for action," he said.

Frustration is high in Europe after Trump launched the war without consulting allies.

"Washington did not consult us," Merz said. "We would have advised against it."

The EU summit, meant to focus on long-delayed economic reforms, will now center on energy, trade, and the fallout from Trump's unilateral move. Merz is urging partners to back reforms to restore Europe's leverage.

"We no longer want to sell ourselves short," Merz told German lawmakers. "We are identifying our interests and identifying the instruments of power we need to enforce those interests."

Still, Europe depends on Washington, especially on trade and Ukraine.

"I expect the customs agreement between Europe and the United States of America to enter into force soon," the chancellor said.

On Ukraine, he was unequivocal: "This is a question of the security, freedom, and peace of the entire transatlantic region... It is about upholding what we proudly call the Free World in the part of the world where we live."

The German government is strongly discouraging citizens from visiting Cuba.

The island is facing an oil blockade from US President Donald Trump's administration, causing frequent blackouts. 

The German Foreign Ministry said hotel and flight options are limited amid the oil crisis. Hourslong outages are impacting food and water supplies.

The ministry also noted that energy challenges are straining the island's health system. 

The ministry urged citizens to avoid protests on the island. An office of the ruling Communist Party was attacked early Saturday by protesters due to the electricity blackouts.

The Foreign Ministry said some 43,000 German tourists visited Cuba in 2025, "although a downward trend has been recently observed." Popular tourist activities include exploring Old Havana, going to the beach and enjoying local products such as Cuban cigars or rum.    

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany will not take part in the ongoing war involving the US, Israel, and Iran, while keeping ties with allies intact.

Merz told the Bundestag in a government statement that Berlin shares key US objectives but will openly say where it disagrees or has different interests.

The chancellor said there is still no convincing strategy for the war in Iran and that Washington did not consult the German government, adding that Berlin would have advised against the current approach.

"To this day, there is no convincing plan as to how this operation could succeed," Merz said. "Washington has not consulted us and has not deemed European assistance necessary." 

Merz said Germany will not participate militarily, including in efforts to secure shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz while the conflict continues.

At the same time, he stressed the war should not damage transatlantic relations and said Germany would contribute to a postwar peace order once fighting ends.

He added that Berlin remains open to future discussions on protecting shipping in Hormuz under the right conditions and will act where it sees national capability and room to maneuver.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed the need for sweeping economic reforms at the EU level, saying stronger competitiveness is key to Europe’s strength.

Speaking in the Bundestag ahead of an EU summit, Merz said Europe must remove "self-imposed constraints" to unlock new growth momentum.

He outlined priorities including deepening the single market, building a capital markets union, and creating a fully integrated European energy market.

"Private investment and long-term affordable energy prices are equally key to sustainable growth and Europe’s strategic independence," Merz said.

He also called for cutting bureaucracy, describing regulation as a barrier to growth. "What we do not need in regulation must go," the chancellor said.

Merz said Europe is overregulating in areas such as artificial intelligence, warning this is holding back economic potential.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, during a press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Berlin, said regime change is "desirable" in Iran.

"Given the brutality and ruthlessness of this regime, it is desirable that regime change occur," Wadephul said.

"I just believe that this has to develop from within the country, and fortunately there are positive attempts at this," the foreign minister said. 

The CEO of Italian bank UniCredit, Andrea Orcel, has told a conference that the lender still wants to acquire Germany's Commerzbank.

Orcel said he was hoping to break the deadlock amid resistance to Monday's announcement of a planned bid from the bank, staff groups and the German Finance Ministry. 

"The goal is to [re]solve the stalemate," Orcel said, adding that he was convinced that the outcome could prove to be a "win-win situation." He said he hoped for talks with his opposite number at Commerzbank, Bettina Orlopp, and anticipated that an offer could be prepared and finalized by May or June.

UniCredit already owns a 29% stake in the bank, and under German laws, if it seeks to increase its ownership share past 30%, it must make an offer to buy up all the bank's shares. Because Commerzbank is in the midst of a share buyback process, Unicredit will either have to make such a bid or sell some of its shares in order to remain below the threshold. 

Orcel said the bank targeted an ownership share of 100% and called for "constructive dialogue" on the matter after cool reactions from Germany over the past 18 months. 

The German government still owns a 12% stake in Commerzbank, a legacy of the taxpayer rescue that the lender needed during the financial crisis almost two decades ago. The Finance Ministry on Monday voiced opposition to the plans. 

"The government supports Commerzbank's strategy of maintaining its independence. A hostile takeover would be unacceptable, particularly given that Commerzbank is a systemically important bank," a ministry spokesman had said.

The Destatis statistics agency reports a fairly sharp year-on-year rise in residential construction permits being issued in January of this year. 

The coalition government has made reversing a dip in residential building rates in the last roughly four years one of its priority policies, with rates around one-third lower than they were between 2016 and 2022.  

According to the new statistics, a total of 19,500 new residences were approved in January, roughly 1,500 more than in January 2025.

But for several years those monthly figures had been closer to 30,000 until the increased inflation of 2022, after the COVID pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, led to an increase in building costs. 

The rate of house building has been increasing more sharply than new apartment construction. Apartment permits rose by 6%, detached houses by 12.6%, semi-detached houses by 26.1%, and terraced houses by 7.1%. 

New figures from the govenrment's statistics agency Destatis show that approximately 64,300 people signed up to train as carers in 2025. 

That's around 8% more than the roughly 59,400 who signed up the previous year.

The total of almost 158,000 carers-in-training is the highest figure on record since unified training standards were codified in 2020, unifying and generalizing what used to be separate courses for caring for the sick, the young and the elderly.

The country is trying to combat a shortfall of professional carers amid an aging population. 

Wednesday's figures also showed a rising proportion of men looking to start a career in caring, albeit with men still making up less than a third (29% to be more precise) of the new trainees. But compared to 2024, 15% more men had signed up, while the number of new women recruits rose by 6%.  

Volkswagen has said it will continue supporting VfL Wolfsburg's men's team even if the club is relegated from the Bundesliga.

CEO Oliver Blume told Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung the club has strong ties to the city and region and remains a core part of Volkswagen, adding that the company stands behind its sporting commitment.

The team is currently 17th in the table and faces its first relegation since joining the Bundesliga in 1997. The club is only one of a handful to have won the league other than Bayern Munich in the past two decades, clinching the title in 2009.

Volkswagen owns 100% of the club and provides more than €70 million (about $80.7 million) per year in funding, including shirt sponsorship and stadium naming rights.

According to the report, that support would be adjusted if the club drops into the second division.

"At the end of the season, we will review everything," Blume said last week in an interview with broadcasters RTL and NTV. "I think it is only fair to do so."

Nevertheless, he said, even reduced support from VW in the second division would still be sufficient to aim for immediate promotion.

Meanwhile, Wolfsburg's women’s team continues to perform strongly at the top level of German and European football, and is currently in second place in the Frauen Bundesliga.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to deliver a government statement in parliament on an upcoming European Council summit, focusing on competitiveness and global crises.

Merz is scheduled to speak in the Bundestag at 2 p.m. local time (1300 UTC/GMT), with EU competitiveness high on the agenda as he pushes for concrete outcomes, alongside discussions on the Middle East and Ukraine.

A 60-minute debate is set to follow his address in the plenary chamber.

Afterward, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder are due to take questions from lawmakers.

A session is then planned to debate fuel pricing at gas stations, followed by consideration of a motion from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) calling for the return of German gold reserves held abroad.

A strike by the Verdi union has grounded all passenger flights at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport (BER) for the entire day.

The walkout began early in the morning as planned and is set to last until midnight, Verdi negotiator Holger Rössler said.

Terminals have remained largely empty.

According to the operators, around 445 flights affecting approximately 57,000 passengers are impacted.

At least a few passengers did appear to turn up at the airport, apparently unaware of the strike.

Roughly 2,000 employees are taking part, including staff in fire services, air traffic control and terminal management.

Employers presented an initial offer in the second round of talks last week, but Verdi said it did not go far enough, demanding a 6% pay rise, at least €250 (roughly $290) more per month and an extra day off for union members.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom here in Bonn, on a sunny March morning.

A strike by the Verdi union has halted all passenger flights at Berlin's Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the day.

Terminals remained largely empty as most travelers were informed in advance. Find out more in this blog.

We’ll also bring you the latest from Berlin, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to speak ahead of this week’s European Union leaders' summit.

Stay here for these and other stories from Germany.