Sanctions “half-hearted and weak” – will German harshness follow against Iran?

The protests in Iran against the repressive system of rule and the anti-women policy of the Islamic Republic continue. The demonstrators are not concerned with reforms, but with fundamental criticism of the clerical mullahs' regime. This is a slogan that is chanted again and again: "Death to the dictator!" - with reference to the "Supreme Leader", Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This slogan also resounded through Berlin on Saturday. 80,000 people took part in a demonstration in solidarity with the protests in Iran, including thousands of exiled Iranians and people of Iranian origin from all over Europe. The organizers made clear demands to the federal government: "Stop negotiating with the criminal state called the Islamic Republic," it said. And: "Stop collaborating with the agents, cronies and oligarchs of the Islamic Republic."

So far there is no sign of such a comprehensive turnaround in German Iran policy in political Berlin. Since the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent reaction of the Iranian regime to the demonstrations there, Germany has campaigned at European Union level for an extension of the list of sanctions. Eleven individuals and four organizations were added, including key members of the vice squad and law enforcement officials. The EU measures include a travel ban and an asset freeze.

Otherwise, the German government has so far mainly spoken verbose condemnations of the Iranian regime's violence - but not actions that affect this regime sensitively. This takes brutal action against the democratic and secular protests; According to human rights organizations, more than 120 demonstrators have been killed by security forces in recent weeks. Should Germany react more sharply?

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai has a clear position on this. “Now at the latest is the time to change course. A new Iran strategy is necessary,” he told WELT. The current personal sanctions of the EU are "half-hearted and weak". "Concrete support measures are needed for the courageous Iranian civilian population," said the Tehran-born member of the Bundestag.

Djir-Sarai also advocates suspending negotiations on the nuclear deal. "The talks may only be permitted again when the problematic geopolitical role of the Islamic Republic and the dramatic human rights situation in the country are discussed on an equal footing."

Germany, France and Great Britain want to revive the nuclear deal with Iran, which is intended to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. It is highly controversial, partly because the regime would receive billions as a result of the relaxation of sanctions. Israel, threatened by Iranian threats of annihilation, sees no protection against a nuclear bomb in the agreement. Since Tehran repeatedly broke agreements and in view of the progress of the nuclear program, the question arises as to whether the Iranian regime has long since decided to build a bomb.

"What is happening in Ukraine is a promotional show for Iranian drones and weapons," notes Daniel-Dylan Böhmer. The senior foreign policy editor also talks about Iran's military nuclear program.

Source: WORLD / Marie Droste

FDP foreign policy expert Frank Müller-Rosentritt said: "I hope the pictures of the large-scale demonstration in Berlin will not only reach the mullahs, but will also ensure a new Iran policy in the Chancellery and the Foreign Office. The nuclear deal negotiations must be halted. Germany should revoke visas for members of the Iranian government.”

The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Nils Schmid, clearly rejects such a halt to negotiations. "We must do everything in our power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. There is currently no better way to do this than a return to the Vienna nuclear agreement with Iran,” he said. With regard to the EU sanctions, however, Schmid advocates a "more extensive listing of additional members of the Iranian security apparatus".

His counterpart from the Greens parliamentary group, Jürgen Trittin, refers to the EU sanctions and the demands of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) for the demonstrators who have been arrested to be released. "A further tightening of sanctions is slowed down by the fact that Iran is already the most sanctioned country in the world after North Korea," said Trittin. "A ban on Iranian organizations here, such as the Islamic Center in Hamburg, requires intelligent and, above all, legally secure preparation."

The vice-chairman of the Union faction, Johann Wadephul, called for support for the Iranian protest movement. “The mullah regime with its repressive apparatus is counted. As Germany and the EU, we must seize this opportunity and actively support it,” said the CDU politician. “We must provide Internet access and platforms to the opposition in Iran. Creative foreign cultural policy is required here.”

The negotiations on the nuclear agreement could "no longer continue as before," Wadephul continued. "We need a reset and have to completely reassess the situation in the partner group." In addition, the sanctions need to be tightened. "EU sanctions must be extended to all persons and bodies of the Iranian regime involved in the suppression of the current protests."

The AfD MP Roger Beckamp, ​​chairman of the German-Iranian parliamentary group, describes the calls for a restriction of diplomatic relations and further sanctions as "fundamentally wrong". Sanctions and the "isolation of Iran" have "forced millions of Iranians into poverty in recent years", which at the same time have weakened the moderate forces in the country. "This is another reason why it makes sense to conclude a nuclear agreement soon, so that the sanctions are largely lifted," Beckamp continued. This is also helpful for a strong democratic protest, which would otherwise "possibly soon run out of air for economic reasons alone".

The left-wing faction, on the other hand, criticizes the reluctance of the federal government. “Values-based foreign policy? None! ”said the parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch. "Effective support for the democratic opposition and protesters, an immediate nationwide ban on deportations to Iran and putting the Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list are necessary measures."

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