TEHRAN – Controversy is still swirling around the German chancellor's remarks on the Iran-Israel war, with a rapidly growing online petition calling for Friedrich Merz to be held accountable in Germany's Federal Court after he stated that Israel was performing the West's "dirty work" by striking Iranian nuclear, military, and civilian infrastructure.

Merz made the comment amidst the war back in June while answering a question from a German public television journalist at the G7 summit in Canada. He praised Israel for being "courageous enough" to attack Iran, calling it the "dirty work" done for the West. 

The online petition, so far signed by over 1,200 German-Iranians, says the chancellor’s pronouncement was a “consent to a war of aggression that violates international law”. “His statement is part of a derogatory jargon of lawlessness that has become widespread within extremist circles – circles that currently threaten democracies in many countries,” the petition read.

The Iranian diaspora isn't alone in its outrage over Merz's words. German media outlets swiftly criticized him following the controversial remarks. Some German analysts have called it "shameful" that the chancellor would endorse an illegal war initiated by a regime responsible for the deaths of over 60,000 Palestinians in the last 20 months.

Days after endorsing Israel's aggression against Iran, Merz defended his initial comments, claiming they had garnered widespread support. "These remarks have found overwhelming approval, and I'm pleased about that," he told reporters after a meeting with state premiers in Berlin. "It is shared by many others, and I don't need to comment on the few critical voices that have emerged." The basis for his claim of "overwhelming approval" remains unclear.

Israel initiated its war against Iran on June 13th with airstrikes targeting both nuclear sites and residential areas within Tehran. Over the subsequent twelve days, at least 1,060 Iranians perished, with the majority of casualties being civilians. One of the most devastating attacks struck a prison in northern Tehran, resulting in the deaths of 79 individuals, including bystanders. Another harrowing incident that deeply impacted the Iranian public occurred in Tehran's Tajrish Square, where footage captured the moment a missile deliberately struck vehicles at a red light, sending them flying into the air.

The regime said its war was aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Analysts, however, believe the primary goal was to topple the Iranian government. In the initial days of the conflict, Israel assassinated key Iranian military leaders, launched a failed attack targeting a trilateral meeting between Iran's president, parliament speaker, and judiciary chief, and, according to the Israeli war minister's own admission, attempted to locate and assassinate Iran's Leader.
 
The Israeli attacks were against the UN Charter, which bans the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, said Dr. Hesamuddin Boroumand, a law expert and scholar. “Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons, attacked a country that has no nukes and is part of the NPT. This is against international law and every lawyer or scholar can agree on that,” he explained. “The German government is essentially backing a terrorist force while claiming that Berlin is a defender of human rights.”

The scholar also argued that if the German court were to hold hearings on the matter, it should find the chancellor guilty of violating both international and German law. The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany explicitly states the country's commitment to "promoting world peace as an equal partner in a united Europe."