Collapse Of Iran Leadership Imminent, Says German Chancellor

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on Tuesday, said that Iran’s current leadership may be nearing its end amid mass protests across the country.

“If a regime can only stay in power through the use of violence, then it is effectively finished.

“I assume that we may now be witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” Merz said during a visit to Bengaluru in India.

He had already condemned the actions of Iranian security forces against peaceful protesters on Monday, describing them as “disproportionate and brutal”.

Iran has been gripped since December 28, by its most serious protest wave for years.

What began as protests by shopkeepers over a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial and mounting economic hardship quickly spiralled into nationwide demonstrations against the country’s hard-line Islamic rulers.

Activists said that the security forces responded by using brutal tactics, including firing tear gas and bullets.

The Oslo-based human rights group Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) says at least 648 people were killed since the protests erupted.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) also puts the death toll at around 650, including 505 protesters, nine of whom were said to be minors aged under 18.

IHRNGO said that some estimates put the toll at over 6,000, while more than 10,000 were believed to have been arrested.

It is impossible to verify the figures, also due the ongoing internet blackout imposed by the authorities.

“The population is now rising up against this regime.

“I hope that there is a way to end this conflict peacefully,” Merz said.

The chancellor said the foreign ministers of Germany, the U.S., the UK and France were in “close contact to ensure that there can now be a peaceful transition in Iran to a democratically legitimate government.”