German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Seoul on October 30 that the Iran war has cost Europe more than €100 billion in extra costs and urged a negotiated end. The basis for that figure and any direct Iranian response have not been confirmed.
According to dpa, Chancellor Merz told reporters in Seoul on Friday, October 30, at the end of his visit to South Korea: ‘I can only appeal to all parties to the conflict: This conflict cannot be resolved by military means.’ He said Germany is working through several diplomatic channels to help coordinate negotiations. The reports do not specify which channels or counterparts, and that has not been confirmed.
광고 문의 · 300×250Merz said European businesses and consumers have incurred more than €100 billion in additional costs because of higher energy prices. Azernews and others described this as the cost over the past eight months, but no calculation method or time basis was given, so the figure should be read as the chancellor’s own estimate.
The War’s Course and the Energy Market
According to reports citing TASS, the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran on February 28, agreed in June on a memorandum to halt hostilities, and the US resumed large-scale strikes on the night of July 8, accusing Iran of violating agreements on the Strait of Hormuz. About 25 percent of world oil trade and about 20 percent of liquefied natural gas passes through the strait. This timeline comes via TASS, and independent verification has not been confirmed.
Azernews reported the same day that oil prices kept rising, with Azerbaijani crude above $126 a barrel, and that Gazprom’s chief executive warned of a possible spike in European gas prices. That is the price of a specific regional grade, however, and cannot simply be equated with international benchmarks.
dpa relayed a Wall Street Journal report that Washington has told Gulf Arab states to prepare for a possible ‘short, intense’ military campaign after the November 3 midterm elections. Whether the US government has officially confirmed this has not been confirmed. According to Reuters, Qatari mediators have returned to Tehran to advance a US-Iran agreement, but the two sides remain divided over the order and scope of dealing with the nuclear programme, sanctions and the maritime blockade.
Iran’s Position and Europe’s Dilemma
A senior Iranian official was reported to have called Qatar’s proposals unacceptable, and Tehran says the US blockade and limits on Iranian oil exports must be resolved before nuclear talks can proceed. No direct Iranian response to Merz’s remarks has been reported or confirmed. DW reported a fresh exchange of hard-line statements after Merz’s call to end the war, but the specifics could not be verified for this article.
Merz said Germany has a direct economic interest in a quick end to the conflict and urged all parties, Israel included, to negotiate. He also said Germany is ready to help the peace process through its diplomatic contacts in the Middle East. Who bears the energy burden, and how much, remains a task for European governments, but whether any concrete relief measures were announced in these remarks has not been confirmed.
