German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that there was no reason for him to criticize attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.
"There is no reason for us, or for me personally, to criticize what Israel started a week ago, nor is there any reason to criticize what America did last weekend," Merz said at an event organized by the BDI German industrial lobby group.
"Yes, it is not without risk, but leaving it as it was wasn't an option either," he added.
Merz said it was evident that Iran was on a path to creating a nuclear weapon.
"The evidence that Iran is continuing on its path to building a nuclear weapon can no longer be seriously disputed," he said.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte also defended US strikes
US strikes on Iran over the weekend did not violate international law, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters on Monday ahead of a summit for the military alliance.
A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday that some of Israel's strikes on Iran may have broken international humanitarian law, citing the killing of civilians in an apartment block and three aid workers in the capital Tehran.
"Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah," the investigative body said in a statement to journalists.
"This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel, which may affect the population’s ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law."