Iran condemns German foreign minister’s Hormuz mining allegation

Iran late Monday condemned German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's allegation that Tehran mined the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Berlin of complicity in aggression against the Iranian people.

"The German foreign minister's rhetoric on the Strait of Hormuz is utterly shameful," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said on the US social media platform X.

Baqai described Wadephul's allegation as "a grotesque distortion of reality" and said Germany must be held accountable for what he called its role in military aggression against Iran.

"Germany must bear the heavy costs of its active participation in the crime of aggression," he said, accusing Berlin of responsibility for "war crimes committed against the Iranian people."

"No amount of offensive posturing will allow the Berlin regime to evade responsibility for its role in this illegal war," he added.

Earlier on Monday, in remarks to the Handelsblatt newspaper, Wadephul claimed Iran had unlawfully mined the international shipping route and said Tehran should pay for any future mine-clearing operations carried out by European countries.