Friedrich Merz has appeared to suggest that Iran should not be protected by international law.

In a major intervention, the German chancellor expressed fears that such rules were becoming redundant in a world where rogue states broke them with impunity and allies did not enforce them.

He went on to say that “now is not the time” for Europeans to “lecture” the United States and Israel about legality, as he turned a blind eye to accusations that their attacks on Iran broke international law.