While the US and Iran call each other as “the great Satan” or “rogue” state, Germany, and Iran is cherished always sympathy for each other – even if there were some crises.
“Tradition-rich, multi-dimensional, strained” – with these three terms Iran-expert Adnan Tabatabai describes the German-Iranian relations. Rich in tradition, because there is already since the time of Goethe and Hafiz in front of 200 years, relations between German and Iranian thinkers and business people. Multi-dimensional, because the relations expressed in cultural, political, social and economic level. And, because there is indoor and outdoor level political differences with Iran, which would have to do not least with Iran’s attitude to Israel. “Because you have to imagine a pendulum that always swings between these three fields,” says Tabatabai.
Despite the stress and the Commute: The relations between Germany and Iran are characterized for a long time of a special sympathy which has survived many historical and political developments.
Welcome Ally
During the First world war, when Britain and Russia occupied Iran, was Germany to Iran is a welcome counter-weight. The Germans had neither a colonial power nor an Aggressor and popular in the country. During the Second world war used to be Iran’s Shah Reza Pahlavi certain amount of sympathy for Adolf Hitler.
In 1952, Germany took up diplomatic relations with Iran and played in the coming years and decades, an important role in the industrialization of the country. Machines “Made in Germany” enjoy an excellent reputation in Iran (and do it until today).
1975: Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (on the right) a guest of Shah Reza Pahlavi
Germany became the main economic partner of Iran. The relations at that time were politically unencumbered, says the German-Iranian political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad. “Since you have not had the Problem of a political confrontation, given that Iran had been the main allies of the United States in the Gulf region,” says Iran expert at the German society for Foreign policy: “Therefore, it was a geopolitical conflict-free, because it was clearly in the Western Camp” – in spite of massive human rights violations under the Shah’s Regime.
Tensions after the Revolution
The Islamic Revolution of 1979 changed the power structure in Iran is fundamentally different. Shah Reza Pahlavi was deposed, the former constitutional monarchy formed Ayatollah Khomeini’s “Islamic Republic”. The Revolution wore a clear anti-Western trains, the German-Iranian relations documents sometimes violent tensions. The contact broke off. Both sides struggled to keep diplomatic, but also other channels open, said Fathollah-Nejad. “Because there was more exchange, as it is in the 80s during the Iran-Iraq war would suspect,” says Iran expert: “The Americans always have a tougher approach is preferred, while the Europeans and the Germans anxious goods, the channels of dialogue open.”
Ayatollah Khomeini was the first Iranian head of state after the Islamic Revolution
Larger cracks were the German-Iranian relations in the early 1990s: at that Time, four Iran-Kurdish politicians in Exile in the order of the Iranian secret service, shot to death in a Greek Restaurant in Berlin. “Because of the critical dialogue has been initiated,” said Fathollah-Nejad.
Relations at low point
The beginning of the 2000s, it was finally known that Iran holds an advanced nuclear program. The world community exerted pressure on Iran. The UN security Council and EU sanctions, which grew gradually to a dense network of criminal activities. Germany had supplied the mid-2000s, nor Goods to the value of around five billion euros to Iran, contracted the German exports in 2013 to around 1.8 billion Euro.
Change through rapprochement
In 2015, the international nuclear agreement with Iran. As a result, the sanctions of 2016 were lifted for the most part. Germany saw the Chance to make the fallow relations revival. Under the Motto “change through rapprochement and trade,” traveled the former Minister of the economy Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) as the first Western politicians in Iran, including high-powered business delegation. After years of sanctions and hopes to re-close economic relations on both sides were large. The calculus of the Germans: Through trade and economic development to influence the social and political conditions of the country, which was observed to be critical.
2015: Minister of economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel (re.) traveled shortly after the conclusion of the nuclear deal in Iran
This strategy is not risen, in the opinion of Fathollah-Nejad. Instead of its economic and political influence on the Iranian elites, Tehran rate to demand corrections, have Germany had too much on its economic interests in view. “Many of the European allies of the critical points mentioned were not really taken seriously”, writes Fathollah-Nejad. He adds: “In Germany, passed in the Wake of the nuclear deal, actually, to speak of a glorification of the Iranian regime, the word.”
So critical of Adnan Tabatabai does not see the German strategy. “One must not assume that after a year of recovery to the terms and conditions already does something,” says Tabatabai. Real political and social change need years, maybe even decades.
US pressure on German companies
Were complicated by the revived German-Iranian economic relations anyway by the remaining sanctions of the USA. 2018 Washington withdrew completely from the nuclear agreement and imposed – unlawful – sided for tough sanctions against Iran. Many German companies retreated from fear of pain, US are liable to penalties from the Iranian market, while the political Berlin said that they wanted to save the nuclear Deal.
Due to the dominance of the US in international financial and Bank sector, a lot of German companies could not afford to have a commitment in Iran, Fathollah-Nejad sober. Iran was unable to reap the economic dividend for its compliance with the agreement.
Uncertain Future
The future of the German-Iranian relations depends on so massively by the developments between the US and Iran, the developments in Iran’s neighboring countries and of its relationship to Israel. It should come to clashes between Iran and Israel, this would burden the German-Iranian relations extremely. “Since Europe will be able to his diplomatic and political support it has shown to date, compared to Tehran, so do not continue,” said Fathollah-Nejad.
The part exit of Iran from the nuclear agreement at the DGAP expert for Tehran considers to be dangerous: “Because Iran have to be careful not to lose this important support from Europe.”