Pod Save America Hosts Call on Democrats to Cut All Israel Military Aid, No Longer Accept AIPAC Funding
Jews, Israelis Targeted in Austria Amid Surge in Antisemitic Incidents; Local Jewish Community Calls for Action
‘All of Our Strength’: Over 1,000 Pro-Israel Activists Gather in DC for Solidarity Conference
‘Devastated’: Wesley LePatner, Killed in Manhattan Mass Shooting, Was a Jewish Communal, Philanthropic Leader
Sen. Angus King Vows to No Longer Vote for Israel Military Aid Until Gaza Conditions Improve
Europe Won’t Pressure Israel to ‘Commit Suicide’ Amid Gaza Backlash, Palestinian State Push, Says Israeli FM
Israel’s National Soccer Coach Attacked in Athens Before Soccer Fans Chant ‘F–K Israel, Free Palestine’ at Match
New York Judge Sentences Neo-Nazi to 5 Years for Livestreaming Bomb Threats Against Jewish Hospitals
US Pressures Lebanon to Issue Cabinet Decision to Disarm Hezbollah Before Talks Continue
UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Meets Conditions, Starmer Says
German Diplomat: Iran ‘Shooting Itself in the Foot’ With Spying
Error: Contact form not found.
by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
Wolfgang Ischinger talks at the Munich Security Conference, Feb. 16, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Ralph Orlowski.
Iran is harming Europe’s efforts to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear accord with actions such as the case of suspected espionage involving a member of the German military, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said on Thursday.
But Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, warned against any move by Europe to join Washington in withdrawing from the agreement, since the accord was intended solely to halt Iran‘s nuclear program and did not address other behavior in the region or spying.
Germany, which together with France has led efforts to keep the agreement in place, expressed grave concern this week to a senior Iranian diplomat about the case of an Afghan-German man who was arrested on Tuesday for suspected espionage.
“The Foreign Ministry addressed the case unmistakably with the manager of the Iranian embassy on Jan. 15 and expressed our grave concern about the suspected intelligence activities,” a ministry source said.
Ischinger, a former German ambassador in Washington, condemned Iran‘s actions, but said it was illusory to think that Iran or other governments would curb their espionage activities even if there was a formal agreement covering such actions.
“Iran should be smart enough to realize that is shooting itself in the foot because it is harming the political mood surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) … but that is no reason to rip up the agreement,” he said.
Iran‘s actions in Germany and elsewhere were raising political concerns and overshadowing efforts to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive, he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif will be one of more than 100 heads of state and other senior world leaders at this year’s Munich Security Conference, to be held in Munich Feb 15-17, Ischinger said.
Leaders planning to attend include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and senior officials including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Saudi State Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he added.
