The German federal government is maintaining a policy of silence regarding a “retaliation list” published by Iranian media, which reportedly includes Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU. During an interview with the dts news agency on Monday, Deputy Government Spokesperson Steffen Meyer stated that the government had “taken note” of the announcement, but emphasized, “We will certainly not comment on it.” He further stressed that security measures surrounding the Chancellor are consistently “very, very high.”
The Iranian daily newspaper “Hamshahri” published a list on Saturday containing 13 Western politicians against whom retaliatory measures are allegedly to be taken following the death of the former spiritual leader Ali Chamenei. In addition to Merz, the list included US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and departing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
