Iran Accuses Germany of Supporting Genocidal Aggressor, Warns Berlin Is on the ‘Wrong Side of History

In a explosive statement that intensified Middle East-West relations, Iran has first accused Germany of being on the “wrong side of history,” explaining that Berlin’s consistent support for Israel constitutes support for a “genocidal aggressor,” and second, made further deteriorations in Iranian relations with Western European powers during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, as uttered as a press conference by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani in Tehran, was a statement that allows Iranian hostility to take a more aggressive tone.

Kanaani’s statement was made in response to recent statements by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who confirmed Germany’s backing of Israel and its right to self-defense. Iran, however, argues this so-called right has been expressed as a systematic assassination of Palestinians in Gaza, namely, women and children.

“Germany has always overlooked the detestable acts of Israel because of its historical guilt. But today, silence is complicity,” Kanaani said.
“By supporting a regime that is engaged in ethnic cleansing and genocide for a second time, Germany has chosen badly again,” he remarked about Germany’s Nazi past.

The Iranian official accuses Berlin of “moral relativism” for justifying Israel’s military actions, allegedly causing civilian deaths in Gaza over 36,000 as of when fighting increased at the end of 2023. While there is disagreement about the civilian death toll around the world, Kanaani stated, “There needs to be independent international inquiries and not trade in arms and silence.”

Germany has not reacted to Kanaani’s comments directly, but the country’s position has not changed on the Israel-Hamas war. German officials have made it clear, whenever the opportunity arises, that Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas, which it designates as a terrorist organization. Germany is also among the Western nations calling for limited humanitarian ceasefires, without condemning Israel’s military.

Chancellor Scholz rejected calls from opposition voices and foreign NGOs to suspend arms exports to Israel in April 2024. His government claimed that Israel is under existential threat and thus requires security for its people.

This argument, however, has come under criticism not only from arch-rivals like Iran, but also from human rights groups, most of whom believe that Berlin is abdicating its human rights obligations in international law.

Iran’s condemnation of Germany coincides as international divisions deepen over how to resolve the protracted and catastrophic conflict in Gaza. While Western countries continue to advocate for Israel’s position, countries in the Global South, and in the Muslim world specifically, have condemned what they see as collective punishment of Palestinians.

Iran has emerged as one of the foremost opponents of Israel and its allies. Iran has supported various types of resistance movements across the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Tehran does not claim to control Hamas, but it supports Palestinian “resistance efforts” and tends to blame the West for facilitating Israel’s activities.

These recent Iranian statements will probably only continue to complicate diplomatic relations/further. Germany has historically only had minimal ties with Iran, especially since the failed 2015 nuclear deal, and the current EU sanctions stopping military and drone exports to Tehran.

There is also growing concern that the escalation of rhetoric by Tehran may be followed with real action on the ground, including the ramping up of proxies in the region or possibly resurgent threats to maritime security.

As the world observes the Gaza crisis unfold, and with the global community becomes ever more polarized, Iran’s challenge to Germany raises difficult questions around moral responsibility, historical memory, and foreign policy in an age of complex conflicts.

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