It is too soon to lift sanctions against Iran in return for reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said Ursula von der Leyen in a slap down to Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor.

Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz – the conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG – for close to two months and Europe’s energy stocks are starting to run dry.

The European Commission President used a Berlin visit to rebuke Chancellor Merz, a fellow German Christian Democrat, after he proposed easing sanctions for restoring energy flows.

“We think the dropping of sanctions would be too early,” said Von der Leyen. “There is a reason why the sanctions are imposed on Iran, [because of] their behaviour towards their own population.”

The Iranian regime killed at least “17,000 young people” this year, she added. “Its the suppression of human rights and specifically women’s rights in Iran … that triggered the sanctions.”

Dropping them would require a “fundamental change in Iran,” she explained.

The EU last renewed its Iran sanctions until late 2027 in March, after finally adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its terrorist list in February – a long-time demand of anti-regime opposition groups.

Asset freezes targeting individuals and trade restrictions put in place were reinstated late last year after Iran was seen reneging on its deal to halt working towards nuclear weapons, known as the JCPOA.

-- Agencies