Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz concluded a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, promoting expanded trade, energy links and a shift toward closer defense cooperation.
- RWE signed letters of intent with Abu Dhabi state firms for potential LNG supplies of up to 1 million tonnes annually for up to ten years and for joint investment in German battery storage projects.
- Merz said he raised human rights privately in all meetings, prompting criticism from rights groups and church aid organizations that argue Berlin is downplaying abuses.
- U.S. and Iranian delegations held indirect, Oman-mediated talks in Muscat focused on the nuclear issue, with both sides calling the exchanges positive and scheduling further discussions early next week.
- President Donald Trump paired the outreach with pressure by establishing authority for tariffs of up to 25% on countries that buy Iranian oil and by maintaining heightened U.S. military deployments in the Gulf.