live Trump Urges Merz To Prioritize Ukraine Over Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on April 27 that the United States lacks a clear strategy in the war with Iran and warned that the situation may not end anytime soon.

"The Iranians are apparently stronger than expected, and the Americans apparently have no really convincing strategy," Merz said during a visit to a school in the German city of Marsberg.

"The problem with such conflicts is always that it's not enough to just get into them -- you also have to get out again. We saw this painfully in Afghanistan over 20 years. It is similar in Iraq," he added.

"The United States has entered this conflict without a clear strategy," Merz said, making it more difficult to end the war.

"A very complicated situation has developed at the moment and it is costing us a lot. This conflict has a direct impact on our economic performance," he added.

He also said that Germany's offer to send minesweepers to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains valid, but the precondition is an end to the fighting.

After Iran's violent crackdown on nationwide protests in January, the German chancellor was the first high-ranking international political figure to say that the Islamic republic's use of violence to remain in power was a sign of the end of the regime. After the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he also spoke of the European Union's readiness to reduce sanctions.

This comes while Ursula von der Leyen said on April 27 that lifting sanctions against Iran is conditional on making "fundamental changes" and that it is still "too early" to ease them.

Exiled Iranian political analyst Amir Chahaki told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Russian President Vladimir Putin may seek to push Iran to make concessions in negotiations with the United States as a way of currying favor with US President Donald Trump.

Speaking after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived for talks with Putin in St. Petersburg, Chahaki said he believed there could now be an opportunity for diplomatic progress.

"Today, Russia can, in my opinion, persuade Tehran to step back on the nuclear issue, because the Strait of Hormuz will reopen with the end of the war, while at the same time pushing the United States toward partial concessions -- such as allowing some enrichment under stricter limits, perhaps after 10 years. These possibilities are now on the table for Putin," the Berlin-based analyst said.

Meanwhile, Russia's TASS news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the significance of the talks, which he said would take place at the presidential library in St. Petersburg, "could hardly be exaggerated."

One of several key stumbling blocks in the US-Iran diplomatic deadlock is the fate of some 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that Iran reportedly holds.

"The nuclear issue, specifically the 450 kilograms and the enrichment, remains the central axis. If Russia can, through engagement with Trump and Tehran -- either with [Supreme Leader] Mojtaba Khamenei or any other group -- resolve the issue by having Iran dilute some of it or transfer the remainder to Russia in a way that is accepted, that would be a major favor from Putin to Trump," Chahaki said.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that China has offered limited support to Iran.

"I don't think they've helped much. Maybe they've helped some, but not much. They could have helped a lot more than that," Trump said.

Referring to US backing of allies such as Ukraine, he added that similar behavior could be expected from China in supporting its partners.

Despite this, Trump stressed he was "not too discouraged" by Beijing's actions and said he did not view China as "too bad" in this context.

The president is expected to travel to Beijing on May 14–15 for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led the first round of talks with the United States in Pakistan on April 11-12, warned in a post on X that Iran still holds strategic leverage despite the United States' "winning cards."

"They're looking at their winning cards…. Let's examine: supply-side cards [Iran] versus demand-side cards [America]," he wrote. He listed "the Strait of Hormuz (partially opened) plus Bab al-Mandab (not opened) plus pipelines (not opened)" against US measures such as "reserve release…demand reduction…[and] further price adjustments.”

He added pointedly: "Add summer vacation…unless they want to cancel it for America!"

Qalibaf's remarks suggest Iran could escalate tensions by restricting key waterways like the Bab el-Mandeb Strait or targeting regional pipelines. His reference to "reserve release" points to the US use of strategic oil stocks, while "demand reduction" reflects lower consumption due to high prices.

He previously stated: "We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump discussed the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call on April 26.

A spokesperson for Downing Street said that "the leaders discussed the urgent need to resume shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences it has for the global economy and the cost of living for people in the UK and around the world."

"The prime minister also shared the latest developments in his joint initiative with French President Emmanuel Macron to restore freedom of navigation," the spokesperson added.

Earlier official statements from Downing Street have used similar wording, emphasizing "the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs worldwide."

Britain and France, alongside other countries, are working on mechanisms to ensure the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump said that Tehran "can call us" if it wants to talk, but he added that it must give up any plans to build a nuclear weapon or "there's no reason to meet."

"If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines," Trump told Fox News on April 26.

"They know what has to be in the agreement. It's very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon; otherwise, there's no reason to meet," Trump said.

Tehran has always insisted its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes, although the United States and Israel accuse Iran of secretly attempting to build a nuclear weapon.

Trump has demanded Tehran cease its program of enriching uranium that could be used to build a bomb and that it hand over its supply of the mineral -- something Iran has said will not happen.

To read the full report, click here.

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, on April 27, Iranian state media reported.

"He arrived early on Monday morning with the aim of meeting and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the IRNA news agency reported.

Russia's TASS news agency, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, earlier confirmed that Putin plans to meet Araqchi, although the exact time and place was not stated.

The visit comes as Pakistani-mediated peace talks between the US and Iran appear to be struggling. Talks tentatively scheduled for the past weekend in Islamabad were called off, with no new date set.

However, US and Iranian officials have separately said that messages are being passed between the two sides through Pakistan as Islamabad attempts to keep the process going.

Read more here.

Lebanese officials said ⁠Israeli strikes killed at least ⁠14 people and wounded ‌37 on April 26 after the Israeli military warned residents to leave seven towns beyond the "buffer zone" it is occupying, as a fragile cease-fire continues to fray.

Two children and two women were killed in the latest attacks, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.
Israel said one of its soldiers was killed.

The Israeli military accused the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group of violating the cease-fire and vowed to respond. It warned people to move north and west away from ⁠the named towns.

A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.

"From our perspective, what obliges us is the security of Israel, the security of our soldiers, the security of our communities," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has left Islamabad and is traveling to Russia, where he is expected to meet with close ally President Vladimir Putin, the Iranian ministry said on April 26.

Araqchi, who had been in the Pakistani capital earlier in the week, worked in a quick visit to the Omani capital, Muscat, before returning to Islamabad ahead of the trip to Russia.

Iranian officials said the foreign minister would meet with Putin. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Interfax as saying Putin is planning to meet with Araqchi.

The status of Pakistani-mediated peace talks between the US and Iran is uncertain.

On April 25, US President Donald Trump said he was canceling planned trip to Islamabad by his negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

"I said, we're not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines," Trump told Fox News

However, Iran's Fars news agency said Tehran had transmitted "written messages" to US negotiators through Pakistan that were "about some of the red lines of the Islamic republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz."

Media reports said Araqchi met with Omani leaders to press the idea of jointly charging shipping tolls to vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a plan sharply opposed by most of the rest of the world.