Tehran's ultraconservative Hamshahri newspaper published images of 13 international politicians "wanted" for the death of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with a statement claiming that the politicians would pay the ultimate price. Among the politicians was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of the Christian Democrats (CDU).
In addition to Merz, it also featured US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, among other politicians. In the images, all of them are wearing orange prison uniforms, as are common in the United States.
Many European countries have supported the US and Israeli attacks on Iran since February, including by giving them permission to fly through their airspace.
Why was Friedrich Merz named on the retaliation list?
After US and Israeli attacks on Iran began in early March, Merz said that the German government shared the relief felt by many Iranians that this regime was now coming to an end. He went on to say: "We share the interest of the United States and Israel in seeing an end to this regime's terror and its dangerous nuclear and ballistic armament." Thus far, however, the regime remains in power.
