Germany’s turn from economy to politics

Ali Majedi, Iran’s former ambassador to Germany

Ali Majedi

Britain and France are traditionally the political players of Europe, while Germany usually tends to shape the continent’s economic policies. That is why long-standing relations between Tehran and Berlin have their roots in the economy.

Basically, Germans have taken moderate positions in foreign policy, especially toward Iran. For instance, Berlin has played a constructive role in the JCPOA talks, unlike France and Britain, which have sometimes adopted tough stances against Tehran. Another example is the Mujahedin Khalq Organization – an opposition group operating against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which customarily hold its rallies in France, where it has been granted more leeway than in Germany.

Germans assumed a softer stance toward Russia than other European countries. They even tried to push the Russian president to stand down at the advent of the Ukrainian war. The situation changed when the conflict dragged on. The United States stepped in to explicitly support Ukraine and the European Union followed suit.

It was when pro-Russians ceded power in Germany and the new government launched its mission in defense of Ukraine. The new leaders in Germany appear to be rather tough. Therefore, their recent aggressive stances against Iran have nothing to do with the street protests in the Islamic Republic. Rather, such position stems from the alleged use of Iranian drones by Russia against Ukraine. 

Germany has never been opposed to the development of relations between Iran and Russia. However, it followed in the footsteps of the U.S. and the EU to be hard on Iran after the drone allegations popped up.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced its opposition to the war and denied the sale of drones to Russia for use against Ukraine. But the new twist in Germany is that Berlin is turning from economic priority to political priority and getting closer to the U.S. Although they already had close ties with the U.S., after the war in Ukraine their relations have become more intimate.