Hours after the killing of Iranian top military leader, Maj. Gen. Qaseem Soleimani by the US government, Germany and France have reacted to the incident.
WITHIN NIGERIA had earlier reported that A top commander in Iran military identified as Qaseem Soleimani has been killed on Friday in an airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, through her Spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer urged restraint and de-escalation.
“We are at a dangerous point of escalation. It is now important through prudence and restraint to contribute to de-escalation,” Demmer said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Also speaking Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the aim now was to prevent further escalation across the Middle East.
“We are making use of our diplomatic channels to Iran and to other states in the region,” he said
“Since this morning we have been in close contact with our British and French partners and with other European countries on how we can best work to calm the situation.”
Also reacting, France said its priority is to stabilise the Middle East.
French Secretary of State for European Affairs Amelie de Montchalin spoke to RTL radio.
“What is happening is what we feared: Tensions between the United States and Iran are increasing,” Montchalin said. “The priority is to stabilise the region.”
“We have woken up to a more dangerous world,” Montchalin added, saying French President Emmanuel Macron would consult soon with “players in the region.”