Why did Germany reject the Anglo-American escort request in the Gulf?

The U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell was very dissatisfied with the German government’s decision.

He severely criticized the German government on August 1, accusing it of being unwilling to participate in the US-led escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz. He told the Augsburg Allgemeine: "Germany is the largest economic power in Europe. This success (gives Germany) a global responsibility."

"In order to help Germany remain in the West World, the United States has made a lot of sacrifices," he said, adding that the United States paid a huge sum for the 34,000 troops stationed in Germany.

The United Kingdom, the United States and other countries met in Bahrain on July 31 to discuss a plan to form a joint fleet to "escort" in the Strait of Hormuz, and hoped that Germany would join this team. Washington had formally asked Berlin to join a joint operation to secure the Strait of Hormuz and "counter Iranian aggression." In response, the German Foreign Ministry stated on July 31 that it would not participate in such extreme pressure actions.

In fact, this is not the first time Grenell has criticized the German government’s decision.

Faced with Grenell’s threat, German Chancellor Merkel also responded after meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Michel in Berlin on March 12. Agence France-Presse said that Merkel emphasized that Germany has the sovereignty to set safety standards. She said: "We will independently formulate our own standards." Regarding the threat that the United States may restrict the sharing of intelligence, Merkel said that she will discuss these issues with partners in Europe and the United States in the future.

The German Foreign Ministry stated in an interview with Bild that it is impossible for Germany to participate in such extreme pressure operations. German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Scholz said in an interview with German TV station 2 on Wednesday that he did not approve of Germany's participation in the "escort" operation in the Strait of Hormuz requested by the United States. He said that actions to protect civilian navigation in the Gulf region were "somewhat too hasty." If it can prevent "lasting intensification" between Iran and other conflict parties, it will be a good protection for navigation. Scholz warned: "If a real military conflict occurs locally, that will be the worst thing, and navigation will be really threatened." Former German Prime Minister Schroeder told the "Rheinische Post" that Germany should not embroiled in the conflict between the United States and Iran. The German Left Party also stated that participating in "convoy" would bring unpredictable consequences.