German FM Urges Iran to Help Prevent Further Escalation in Mideast

Germany has called on the Islamic Republic to prevent further escalation in the Middle East "at all costs", as Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah of Lebanon lurch closer to a full-blown war.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in a Friday phone call "delivered a clear message" to Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on the urgent need for de-escalation in the region, the Germany Foreign Ministry said.

"Clear message from Baerbock in today's phone call with the acting Iranian FM Bagheri Kani regarding the situation in the Middle East: Further escalation must be prevented at all costs, and Iran must also contribute to this," reads a post on the German Foreign Ministry's X account.

Later in the day, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said on his X account that he held a phone call with Bagheri Kani to discuss the "rising tensions" along the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been escalating in recent days, raising concerns about a potential full-blown war. Both sides have exchanged threats and engaged in increasingly aggressive actions, leading to fears of a larger conflict that could engulf the region.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah recently warned that "no place" in Israel would be spared in the case of a full-blown war against the Lebanese group, and even threatened to target Cyprus if it opened its airports to Israel.

Israel has also threatened to “plunge Lebanon completely into the dark and take apart Hezbollah’s power in days."

The Israeli threat to plunge Lebanon into darkness, issued by former war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Tuesday, won't be difficult for the IDF to carry out. Lebanon's power grid, already crippled by decades of mismanagement and the current economic collapse, barely functions as it is. Israel will be able to easily finish it off with a few well-aimed airstrikes.

However, the US is warning Israel that any IDF offensive in Lebanon would risk a broader conflict that draws in Iran and Iran-aligned militants, particularly if Hezbollah's existence is threatened.

German Citizens Jailed in Iran

In the Friday phone call, Berlin said, Baerbock also raised the issue of German citizens jailed in Iran, which include Jamshid Sharmahd and Nahid Taghavi.

Jamshid Sharmahd, a 68-year-old software developer and California resident, was abducted by Iranian agents during a visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2020 and forcibly taken to Iran. In February 2023, the Iranian judiciary sentenced him to death on charges of endangering national security.

Sharmahd, who holds German and Iranian citizenship, was convicted of heading a pro-monarchist group named Tondar accused of a deadly bombing incident that occurred in 2008 at a religious center in Shiraz, killing 14 and injuring 215 more.

Nahid Taghavi, 68, has also been jailed in Iran since 2020, and as detailed by her daughter, endured psychological torture during her detention.

Reports indicate that she was confined to solitary confinement in the notorious Ward 2-A of the Revolutionary Guards at Evin Prison for a staggering 220 days.

She was granted a brief furlough in January, but the furlough was terminated next month, and she was forced to return to prison before "being able to receive necessary medical treatment," according to the German Foreign Ministry.