US vs Iran: Germany Speaks On Next Action, Death Of Soleiman

Heiko Mass

German Foreign Minister, Heiko Mass has said he wants to seek talks with both Iran and key international partners to ease tensions following the US airstrike which killed top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani.

Maas said the situation had become “more unpredictable.”

“In the coming days, we will do all we can to work against a further escalation of the situation — at the United Nations, in the EU, and in a dialogue with our partners in the region, including talks with Iran.

“Everyone must be aware that any provocation could now lead to an uncontrollable spiral of violence, with unforeseeable consequences for the entire region and also for our security in Europe,” Maas told the Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Maas also mentioned three goals. “First: avoid a war-like escalation. Second: preserve Iraq’s stability and integrity and third: make sure that ISIS (the terrorist militia Islamic State) does not gain ground again in the slipstream of these upheavals.”

According to Maas, there is currently no acute danger for German tourists in the Gulf region: “So far, there have been no concrete threats against Germans in the main travel areas there.

“But the situation in the region has become more volatile,” he added.

Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, was killed by a US airstrike on Friday.

The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Iran-backed militia, Popular Mobilization Forces, which recently stormed the US embassy in Baghdad.

President Rouhani visited Soleimani’s family where he reiterated Iran’s resolution to revenge.