GERMANY PERSPECTIVE

Berlin places UN Secretary-General Guterres's warning at the center of its coverage -- a typically German reflex where the multilateral framework trumps bilateral power dynamics. Guterres warns against strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure, and German media translate the warning into precise legal terms: Geneva Additional Protocols, international humanitarian law, proportionality of strikes. Germany, which built its postwar identity on 'never again,' reads Trump's statement -- 'a civilization will die' -- not as hyperbole but as a dangerous rhetorical precedent. The strikes on Kharg Island and Jubail are covered through the energy lens: Germany, which already had to reorganize its energy dependence after the Russian gas cutoff in 2022, sees the Gulf escalation as a second supply crisis in four years. Oil at $150 directly threatens the German automotive and chemical industries. Berlin isn't asking whether Trump is bluffing -- Berlin is calculating how many months of strategic reserves remain if the Strait of Hormuz closes.