German foreign minister reroutes to Saudi Arabia on Middle East tour

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul pressed on with his tour of the Middle East on Saturday despite the conflict raging between Israel and Iran, arriving in the Saudi capital Riyadh on a hastily reworked itinerary.

Wadephul, who took office last month under the coalition government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, met with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh.

Stability in the Middle East following Israeli strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks were likely to dominate the talks, along with the Gaza war.

The Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and Oman have strongly condemned Israel’s attacks, with Riyadh branding them a clear violation of international law. Oman said they represented “a dangerous and reckless escalation.”

Originally, Wadephul was to travel from Egypt to Lebanon and reach the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday. Visits to Jordan and Israel on Sunday were also on the agenda.

However, as developments in the Middle East quickly became unpredictable, the minister cancelled his visits to Beirut, Damascus, Amman and Jerusalem.

Wadephul planned instead to travel on to Qatar on Saturday evening for a meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Qatar is regarded as an important mediator between Israel and the Islamist militia Hamas in the Gaza war.