"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the ongoing joint US-Israel operation against Iran is ill-conceived, during a Bundestag session in Berlin on Wednesday. “We still have many questions about this war,” he stated. “That is why we have stated that as long as the war continues, we will not participate, for instance, in using military means to ensure free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. There is currently no plan for this, nor is there a mandate from the United Nations, the European Union, or NATO.” “We share important goals of the US. But we must not shy away, and we will not hesitate, to honestly tell our partners where we see things differently and where we have other interests. Such a partnership must endure this. Otherwise, it is not a partnership,” Merz continued. Stressing the disastrous effect of the Middle Eastern war on the economy, especially in the energy sector, as well as on security and migration, Merz insisted it be brought to a swift conclusion. “We need stability in the Near and Middle East, to which we, after a peace agreement, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, will also contribute from Germany,” he said. “This war harms us all, including the US, by the way. No one can afford these economic upheavals that we are increasingly feeling these days. US President Donald Trump had previously called on several allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Many, including NATO partners like Germany, France and the UK, ruled out any military involvement. The strategic waterway that carries around 20 percent of global oil shipments was closed by Iran in response to US-Israeli attacks launched February 28, amid talks over Iran's nuclear and missile programs.  The German leader went on to stress that Europe should concentrate on ‘taking security and the defence of our freedom into our own hands’.  “We no longer want to sell ourselves short. We identify our interests and, at the same time, identify the means of power to enforce these interests. We learn that others are also dependent on us, not just us on them. And we learn that we can use this, indeed, must use it,” he said. However, Merz called on Trump for co-operation in achieving a ‘just peace in Ukraine’. “This is a question of security, freedom, and peace for the entire transatlantic region and not merely a question of the territorial integrity of a major European country,” he said. “It is therefore the demand of the moment that we increase the pressure on Moscow, namely the US and European partners together.” The German Chancellor also called to ‘quickly’ adopt the 20th package of EU sanctions on Russia and provided Kiev with a 90 billion loan, despite objections from Hungary. “We must not take into account a single country from the European Union that is currently building this blockade in Europe due to internal political reasons and an ongoing election campaign there,” he said. Hungary has halted diesel supplies to Ukraine and blocked the 20th package of EU sanctions on Russia and said it would halt the bloc's latest €90 billion loan to Ukraine unless the supply of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline continues. The pipeline has long been a key route for Russian oil deliveries to parts of Central Europe."