European leaders have rallied, issuing calls for calm amidst the inflammatory rhetoric of the last 24 hours in the aftermath of a US airstrike that killed a top Iranian Commander, General Qassem Soleimani.
Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas has voiced hope for direct talks with Iran as a means of de-escalating tensions in the Middle East in the wake of the US assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
German newspaper Bild am Sonntag quoted Heiko Maas as saying:
“In the coming days, we will do all we can to counteract a further escalation of the situation — in the United Nations, the EU and in dialogue with our partners in the region, including in talks with Iran.”
Despite the spiralling tensions in the region, Maas dismissed any plans to augment Germany's current deployment of around 120 troops in Iraq.
Nevertheless, Germany should continue its training mission in Iraq as part of the collective efforts to defeat Daesh* terrorist group, Maas emphasised.
“The fight against IS remains in the interests of Germany; the Bundeswehr [the German armed forces] provides important training [to the Iraqi troops] on the ground. As long as it is possible, we should not question this successful operation,” Maas said.
He also acknowledged that the safety of German troops was the main priority and that is why the training was paused on Friday. Maas added that there was no additional danger for tourists in the Persian Gulf.
“Until now, there have been no specific…
