The tensions between Iran and the US have continued to increase in recent months - even to the point of possible war. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, the Federal Foreign Minister has now commented on the conflict. He called on Iran again for talks with the US without preconditions.
"The only way to relax is talks between the US and Iran," Maas said. "But that will only work if there are no unrealistic preconditions for such a dialogue."
Iranian President Hassan Rohani had previously made the lifting of US sanctions a condition for talks with US President Donald Trump in his speech. "You are not negotiating with an enemy that is trying to bring Iran to its knees with the weapons of misery, pressure and sanctions," he said. Trump, on the other hand, was ready to speak with Iran.
The United States stepped out of the agreement to stop an Iranian nuclear bomb last year because they did not go far enough. Since then they have pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" on Tehran with massive sanctions.
Cooperation is "no betrayal of one's own country"
Maas indirectly criticized Trump in his UN speech and spoke out against a return to nationalism. "Not one of the big issues of the future can be solved by one country alone," said Maas. For example, in the fight against climate change, only joint answers are possible. "Working together, finding compromises, defending our common rules and institutions - that's what we call foreign policy sustainability."
Maas thus drew the opposite position to Trump, who on Tuesday demanded a return to national interests and rejected multilateral agreements. All actors should fight for prevention instead of always running after events, said Maas. Sustainable is only a foreign policy, "which relies on sustainable agreements instead of quick deals at the expense of others."
Cooperation is also "no betrayal of one's own country," said the Maas. "It creates the conditions for our countries to prosper."