In Israel, Germany's Scholz says Iran deal 'cannot be postponed'
Gulf Times
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a joint press conference with the Israeli prime minister at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on March 2, 2022.
Germany's Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that a new Iran nuclear agreement "cannot be postponed any longer", during his first visit as chancellor to Israel, which staunchly opposes efforts to forge a deal with Tehran.
Scholz's visit, which included a ceremony at Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, comes amid the geopolitical turmoil sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The two heads of government -- both relatively new to office following many years when their countries were ruled by veterans Angela Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu -- met as rapidly moving world events test their leadership.
Policy differences on Iran, long Israel's arch foe, surfaced at a Jerusalem joint press conference, with Scholz saying Germany "would like to see an agreement reached in Vienna".