German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Washington on Monday, accusing the Trump administration of being manipulated and "humiliated" by Tehran's regime while lacking a clear strategy to resolve the conflict.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday criticized the military conflict against Iran led by the United States and Israel, describing it as a "completely unnecessary war" that threatens the very foundations of the global economy.

Protests have swept the globe since the start of the war, with hundreds of protests both in favor of and against the conflict.

On Monday, OPEC revised its forecast for global oil demand in the second quarter, cutting it by 500,000 barrels per day, according to the group's monthly oil report. This was the first public assessment of the war in Iran’s impact on the market.

The United States reported a higher budget deficit in March, as increased tax refunds and relief payments outweighed modest gains in revenue, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Ali Vaez, Director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group, has warned that negotiations between the United States and Iran are starting from a deeply negative level of trust, making any diplomatic breakthrough extremely difficult.
According to Vaez, Iran has at least three major reasons for mistrust.

Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire, instead insisting that any agreement must lead to a permanent end to the conflict, according to state media and officials.

A third Turkish-owned vessel has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict, bringing the total number of safely departed ships to three, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said Tehran has finalized its demands regarding recent proposals to end the war but will disclose them only when appropriate.

Editor’s note: Dr Afshar Soleymani is a former Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, as well as an analyst and researcher in political and international relations. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of News.Az.