Germany’s Dark Record Against Iran: From Arming Saddam to Justifying Israeli Regime’s Aggression
While the world watched in shock as the Zionist regime launched aggressive attacks on Iranian soil on June 14, 2025, killing approximately 1,100 civilians including women and defenseless children, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz astonishingly described thes assaults as a “legitimate action” instead of condemning them or maintaining diplomatic silence.
at the G7 summit, merz declared explicitly: “This is exactly what Israel is doing for our security.” This statement not only showed blatant disregard for international law and the United Nations Charter but dangerously bordered on justifying crimes against civilians.
A few days later, addressing Germany’s parliament in remarks that closely echoed Tel Aviv’s narrative, Merz reaffirmed the legitimacy of Israel’s operation without reservation, asserting there was “no doubt about its legality.” even some European media outlets criticized this stance.
This position raises vital ethical questions regarding Germany’s role-especially given calls from Western institutions like the International Committee of the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch to investigate “the ratio of civilian casualties to military targets” in these attacks.
This article highlights several instances of berlin’s historic complicity with aggressors against iran:
1. Supplying Saddam Hussein with Chemical Weapons: Germany’s Service to a War Criminal
During Iraq’s eight-year imposed war on Iran (1980-1988), when Iran endured bombing and chemical attacks, hundreds of German companies collaborated-often with tacit support from West Germany’s government-to provide equipment, technology, and raw materials necessary for producing chemical weapons for Saddam Hussein’s regime.
An official report by Germany’s Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution reveals over 110 German firms directly or indirectly participated in Iraq’s chemical weapons program. Much of this involvement was not covert; many exports were officially recorded and conducted with full government awareness.
A important example includes co-founding Iraq’s Samarra plant-a facility specially designed to manufacture lethal gases such as tabun, sarin, and mustard gas. This plant became central to Saddam hussein’s chemical arsenal used in catastrophic attacks like Halabja and also operations targeting Iranian forces at Faw and Majnoon areas. Thousands of civilians-including Iranian women and children alongside Kurdish populations-fell victim directly to these gases made using German technology and materials.
Under a classified initiative known as Project 922, German companies shipped more than 1,027 tons of precursor chemicals to Iraq. UN-released documents reported by outlets such as The Washington Post in 1992 disclosed that at least six German firms had supplied biological equipment capable of cultivating lethal microbial agents perhaps usable as weapons of mass destruction.
Despite exposure showing Germany’s pivotal role arming Saddam with banned weaponry during his war crimes against Iran,the country never prosecuted company executives nor issued an official apology for this historic crime against Iranians. This marks a deeply troubling stain on Germany’s foreign policy history where economic and strategic interests frequently enough prevailed over human rights principles or ethics.
2. Germany’s Silence Over assassinations Of Iranian Nuclear Scientists
Between 2009-2012 (corresponding roughly with years 1388-1391 Persian calendar), Iran witnessed targeted killings claiming at least five prominent nuclear scientists including Masoud Ali-Mohammadi and Majid Shahriari. Although suspected perpetrators were primarily affiliated with israel-for which western countries especially Germany remained conspicuously silent-not only did they refrain from condemnation but some officials implicitly framed these assassinations as “necessary steps toward global security.”
The German news magazine Der spiegel cited an intelligence official in 2012 saying: “The assassination of Shahriari demonstrated that there are still ways other than bombs for stopping Iran.” Such anti-Iranian narratives within mainstream German media legitimized antagonistic actions while ultimately concealing acts clearly violating international law standards.
3. Cyber Warfare: The First State-Sponsored Cyberattack using Stuxnet
In summer 2010,a malware named Stuxnet surfaced targeting monitoring systems controlling centrifuges at Natanz nuclear facilities specifically.The Institute for Science & International Security (ISIS) reported between November 2009-January2010 approximately900-1000 units malfunctioned due largelytothis cyber sabotage.Action althoughnotdirectlyconductedbyGermany highlighted research collaborations involvingGerman firms like Siemens.In cooperationwiththenationallabsintheUnited States during2008,researchers discovered vulnerabilitiesinSiemens’ Process Control System PCS7 exploited later byStuxnet.This partnership illustratesWestern technological complicity facilitating cyber threatsagainstIranian infrastructure.
4 . Industrial Espionage And Technological Deception : Theft Of Knowledge and Restriction Of Iranian Advancement
In recent decades ,Iranhas long beenared targetof scientific limitationsimposed bytheWest ,particularlythrough unofficial channels like dual-use research projectsand technological spying.Germanyhas taken advantageofcollaborationswith ostensiblyinternational researchinstitutionsinthe energy ,biotechnology,and aerospacefields,to impose controlledtransferofyetsimultaneously identifykeyIranian scientists.Dozensofjoint projectsoffered short scientific coursesserving asa coverfor gathering intelligenceonIran ‘ scapabilities innanotechnology,nuclear medicine,and advanced engineering .
In somecases indeed afterIranian studies appearedinEuropean academicjournals,Germanyor theeuropean unionblockedimportsof essential equipmenteven citing sanctions.Example:In2021,theGermanMinistryofEconomy refused exportofaTransmissionElectronMicroscope(TEM)tomSharif UniversityofTechnologythough thesamedeviceshadpreviouslybeen delivered under similardistribution terms toaUniversityinstitutionin Qatar.These contradictory behaviors demonstratehowscienceandtechnologybecamepolicy tools formaking geopolitical pressureevenforallieslikethemself .
5 . Pharmaceutical Sanctions And Silent Death :Germany ’ s Participation In Economic Warfare
WhileThe EuropeanUnion officiallyproclaimscommitmentto human rightsand humanitarianconsiderations,German conductduring unilateral sanctionsfollowingAmerica ‘ s pulloutfrom JCPOAcontradicted those claims.Despitepharmaceutical products formally exemptfrom sanctionslists,banksprimarily ledbyGermanfinancial institutionsavoidedtransactionsrelatedto drug supplies ,medicalequipment,and pharmaceuticalrawmaterialstoIran amidUS Treasurywarnings.Thishidden financial sanction effectively obstructed accessfor criticalmedicationsandremained unchallengedofficiallybyBerlinturning intoa stealthweapon inflicting civilian hardship .
Theconsequences played outclearlyduring crises liketheCOVID-19 pandemic plus special patientcare.As perofficial statisticsfrom/Iran’ MinistryofdHealth,in2019over25 thousand patientslivingwith chronic conditionsfaced shortagesor lackofdurgsthat endangered their lives.vaccinesforchildren suffering raritydiseasesgot delayedsome fatal.Thesehuman catastrophescannotoftenbe attributed todirectsanctionsbut arose frompassivedefensive stances []
endorsedingermany exercised underthehugepressurestructuresimposedbyAmerica.
Though G ermany perhaps didnotfire abullet,itparticipated if n otactively thentacit ly intheblockade causing morereal harmthan manyweaponsbecausevictimswere infants,sick citizens,and elders.
6.Technological And Banking sanctions ;Germany Hurdling I ran ’s Progress
After Americana unilaterally exitedthenuclearagreementJCPOAandreinstatedsanct ions,it was expectedthat E U member states notably Germ any-as keyplayers int hedeal- would actively maintain channels foreconomic anda ndtechnologicalcooperation wit hI ra n.Yet,t he Germa nyGovernm entcompliedw ith unite dStatespressure addi ngits ownrestriction stoprominent technolog y companie sandbanks limitingtheir dealingsw ith Ira ni ans inst itutions.Resu lt swere pausingknowledge transfers,failuretosupply crucial electroniccomponents,i ndustrial so ftwar eandinclud ing medicallyrelatedtech no logies.Thesepolicies despite Germ any ‘ sform al professio ns o f hum ani tar ianconcern dire ctly imp acte dli velihoods o f ordinary Iranians.
HoweverG erman techno logy blockades ve rtically provokeda self-sufficiencyapproachthrough localcapacities.Scientificaggregatesand knowledge-based entities boosted relianceonshoring technologieslimitingimports thereby acceleratingdomesticinnovation paths despite wides pre adexternaloperational challenges.
7.The International Order And Germa ny ‘ s Silence ;obstruction To Real izing Iraq’ s Rights
B eing oneofthe influential players int he global systemover recent yearsthis country faced glaring contradictionsbetween legal claims&a ctionson te political stageregardingIRAN.InUN securitycouncilforums,Germanyneither condemnedaggressiveactsagainstIrannor opposedhostilemeasures,butemergedalsentiagonisticaccompliceor intent silence easing biased resolutions &political-economic pressures especially harmful tot he country.Due t his acerely quietposition,w henever I ranbore vi ct im statu swas attached t ostate-terrorism,nuclear sabotageorinfringe m entsoftheUNCharterother involvedcountries,deterredmeaningful interventionsallowedcontinuanceo f unilateral policies.
TheGe rma ngovernment alongwit itsEuropean allies repeatedly refrained supportingofficial legal claimsraisedbyIr athroughInternationalCourtof Justice or oth ermechanisms.Despite IRAN’S efforts tomakeuseo flankal routes,toc hallengethesion ist re gime attac ksorr illegalUSexit fro mth e n uclear pact,countries professingsupportforinternationalorderincludingGer man y either remained silentorsovertunaid infringers.Thismarked duplicitous approach vividlyillustratesthatthenotiono fandom internationalord erhardl y restedonjustice but pivotspoliticalinterestsguid ing western paradigms throughout contemporaryhistory.
