German Foreign Minister Wadephul: Europe is “in Iran’s crosshairs,” Berlin will respond to hostile activities

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday that Europe was “in Iran’s crosshairs” and warned that Berlin would not tolerate hostile Iranian activities targeting Jews in Germany or the country’s wider society.

“We will not tolerate Iran’s hostile activities directed against Jews here in Germany and our open society as a whole,” Wadephul said at a news conference in Berlin. “We will respond here as well.”

His remarks came after a German court sentenced two men to prison over plans to attack Jewish sites on behalf of an Iranian intelligence service.

Separately, Wadephul played down President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying Trump’s comments should be viewed in the context of the final phase of the U.S. midterm election campaign.

Wadephul said Germany was focusing instead on what Washington continued to do in practice: supporting Ukraine alongside its European allies and helping advance negotiations aimed at ending the war.

He said Russia, rather than Ukraine, remained the main obstacle to progress in negotiations, pointing to Moscow’s continued attacks.