Iran demands ‘clarity’ from Germany on US airbase Ramstein

2026-03-19 - 18:34

Iran has asked Berlin to clarify the role of the Ramstein airbase in the US-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran’s ambassador to Germany Majid Nili told AFP on Thursday. “We have asked them to clarify or explain regarding the role of Ramstein,” Nili said, charging that “the role of Ramstein is not officially clear for us”. “Till now, we don’t have any answer.” Nili said Iran believes Washington’s use of the airbase in western Germany may violate UN resolution 3314. The resolution says that territory placed at the disposal of another state cannot be used by that state for perpetrating an “act of aggression” against a third state. “We don’t know yet whether Ramstein is in that line or not,” he said. Germany hosts thousands of US military personnel at the Ramstein airbase, which serves as a US Air Force headquarters for Europe and Africa. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Monday said he saw “no reason at present to doubt the legality of the use of Ramstein” in the war against Iran. German officials in recent weeks have responded to questions about Ramstein’s possible involvement in the war by saying that the US military’s use of the base is governed by treaties. Nili urged Germany and Europe to call on the “aggressors to stop”. An ongoing war “has certain consequences for Europe as well,” he said, citing “economic consequences, refugee crisis, terrorism, disintegration of the region”. “We need a long-lasting ceasefire,” he said, adding that “compensation is another question” regarding alleged attacks on civilian targets. Nili said the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel effectively blocked by Iran since the start of the war, was still “open right now” for states that were “not aggressors or supporting aggressors”. Vanguard News