May 13, 2016
The Islamic Republic has responded angrily after a senior German official spoke of the need for Iran to modify its attitude toward Israel.
The spat shows the tensions between the two countries over Israel, toward which Germany feels a certain responsibility because of the Holocaust.
Iranian Deputy Economy Minister Mohammad Khazayee and the country’s ambassador to Berlin, Ali Majedi, both lashed out at German Deputy Economy Minister Uwe Beckmeyer for saying a change in Iran’s policy towards Israel will positively influence Germany’s relations with Tehran.
Khazayee said, “We do not allow any foreign country to interfere in our foreign diplomacy, set policies or conditions for the expansion of relations with us.” But all countries have the right to set such conditions—and Iran does it all the time. For example, for a third of a century the Islamic Republic has said the United States must fundamentally change its policies before relations can improve.
Khazayee’s remarks came after Beckmeyer spoke in favor of Israel’s security and the role that Tel Aviv could play in Tehran-Berlin relations.
Ambassador Majedi said, “Don’t the countries whose people are unfairly massacred need security? Don’t they see what is happening in Syria, Palestine and Libya? Should security be only for a regime in the region or should it be for the entire world.” Beckmeyer didn’t address that issue because he was talking to Iran about Iranian policies. On other occasions, Germany has often been critical of Israeli policies.
Khazayee said that, had Iran been in the habit of accepting foreigners’ conditions, it would not have turned into the power it is now. That was a strange policy for a professional diplomat as it touted confrontation over cooperation.
According to the Fars news agency, Khazayee, a former Iranian ambassador to the UN, said, “Although the expansion of economic ties with other countries, including Germany, is important to us, what is more important is maintaining the ideological tenets and the independence of the country.”
Majedi said the security of Israel does not mean security for all. “We cannot ignore the situation of the entire region and speak about security of a regime that itself has caused many insecurities in the region.”
Several German officials have stated the country’s foreign policy and economic ties with Tehran would not undergo a major change until Iran comes to recognize Israel. In July 2015, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel urged Iran at the start of his three-day visit to improve its relationship with Israel if it wanted to establish closer economic ties with Germany and other western powers.
Iran-German relations have been bumpy because of German ties to Israel and sensitivity to any threats to its existence. But there have been other frictions as well, such as Iran’s resistance until last week to acknowledging the financial debt it owes to a German trade insurance agency.