Wadephul seeks to ease tensions with Rubio over Iran war

German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul said he was able to make clear to his US counterpart Marco Rubio that Germany is willing to help out in the Strait of Hormuz - once the war is over.

"Germany is certainly willing, after the end of hostilities, to also play a role when it comes to ensuring the security of shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz," Wadephul said he told Rubio in their initial bilateral conversation on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign minister talks in France.

He added that discussions on the topic are expected to continue.

US President Donald Trump accused Germany and other European NATO members of failing to act on his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

On Thursday, Trump noted that he'd heard "from the head of Germany" that the Iran war "is not our war."

Trump said he had responded to that stance by noting: "Well, Ukraine is not our war."

Wadephul called Trump's remarks on Germany's position very inappropriate.

German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius declined to comment on Trump's remarks at the weekly press conference in Berlin on Friday, saying they would be assessed "internally."

"But it is not a statement that is keeping us awake at night," he added.

Wadephul repeats call for unity

Germany's foreign minister repeated his call for unity among the G7, which apart from the US and Germany includes France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and Canada.

Given that "Iran and Russia are working together very closely, we must stand together even more closely," he said.

The group had earlier discussed further support for Ukraine in Rubio's presence. Rubio arrived overnight for the second and final day of the meeting.

Wadephul said his aim at the G7 meeting, in view of the Iran war, was to broaden the common ground. The group planned to discuss the Iran war in the afternoon.

The foreign minister said we are now dealing with two wars in Ukraine and Iran. This was "of course also automatically a strain on our economy, on our societies, of course also on our cohesion."