Merz: EU Ready to ease Iran sanctions in one condition

Published April 24th, 2026 - 02:00 GMT
Merz: EU Ready to ease Iran sanctions in one condition
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: United Nations (UN) members vote at a Security Council meeting to consider sanctions on Iran following Wednesday’s UN resolution (Photo by SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

ALBAWABA - Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, stated on Friday that if a comprehensive agreement is reached, the European Union may think about progressively removing sanctions on Iran.

Speaking in comments that Reuters published, Merz emphasized the need to put more pressure on Tehran to advance discussions and accused Iran of impeding their development.

He said that there is widespread agreement throughout the group on tying any release to significant concessions and that EU leaders are prepared to relax sanctions if Iran shows a readiness to make concessions.

Merz reaffirmed that Iran should not be permitted to build nuclear weapons and that the country's nuclear program must be stopped.

Additionally, he emphasized Germany's desire to maintain the present de-escalation between the US and Iran, stressing that a diplomatic approach is still the best way to resolve the conflict.