Attack on Iran

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to advocate for a realistic and human rights-oriented approach to Iran and the entire region during his visit to Washington. “The people of Iran must not simply be left to their fate after the military intervention. The US and Israel have violated international law and thus accepted military escalation and a conflagration in Iran. Now they must at least present a political concept for strengthening democratic structures in Iran,” said the STP's Middle East consultant, Dr. Kamal Sido, today in Göttingen. “We call on Chancellor Merz to use his visit to the US to advocate for the implementation of the demands of the democracy and women's rights movement in Iran for self-determination, linguistic and cultural rights, and freedom of belief.”

Germany has strengthened the mullah regime for decades through close trade relations, criticizes the STP. Now the federal government must finally follow up its often-stated support for the democracy movement with action.

"Without a political solution, Iran faces chaos and a long-lasting civil war, as was the case in Syria. That risk cannot be taken. After almost a century of Islamist dictatorship and the brutal rule of the Shah regime, forces that reject freedom, federal structures, and the linguistic and cultural rights of religious and ethnic minorities, or fight them with blind violence, must not be allowed to come to power again in Iran," says Sido. The rights of the Azeris, Kurds, Baluchis, Turkmen, Arab Ahwazis, and other ethnic groups, as well as all religious communities, must be protected.

In Iran, the Kurdish freedom movement is the spearhead of the democracy movement, just as it is in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. On February 22, 2026, various Kurdish organizations in Iran officially formed a political and military alliance to work together for the overthrow of the regime and the self-determination of the Kurds. They continue to be threatened by leading Iranian politicians. Both Ali Larijani, secretary-general of the Security Council of the hated mullah regime in Tehran, and Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Shah, who is favored by some Western circles as a possible ruler, threaten the peoples of Iran—especially the Kurds—with violence if they “question the territorial integrity of the country.”

In addition to the US and Israel, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and the Taliban are important geopolitical players in the region. “It would be a major setback for millions of people who finally want complete religious freedom in their country if Turkey, the Taliban, or Pakistan were to increase their influence in Iran. They have no interest in a democratic and federal Iran or in religious freedom,” warns human rights activist Sido. In this regard, the STP draws particular attention to the difficult situation of converted Christians, Bahá'ís, and Jews in Iran. There are an estimated one to two million Christians in Iran. “Many people are leaving Islam because of the brutal nature of the mullah regime and converting to Christianity, Zoroastrianism, or becoming Bahá'ís,” says Sido.

Although Turkish leader Erdogan condemns the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, he is preparing his own plans with Azerbaijan, the Taliban, and Pakistan, which do not automatically correspond to the interests of the Iranian people or the West. Germany must consistently advocate for democracy and human rights and must not, as in the case of Syria, support Erdogan's policies. Political developments in Syria have shown that federal structures and autonomy solutions for different ethnic groups are then not implemented.

Iran is a multi-ethnic state in which numerous ethnic groups and religious communities live. These include the Persian, Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, Baloch, Turkmen, Armenian, and Assyrian ethnic groups, as well as religious communities such as the Shiites, Sunnis, Bahá'ís, Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, Ahl-e Haqq, and Sufi dervishes. Their settlement areas often officially bear the ethnic name of the ethnic group that lives there. Non-Persians and non-Shiites make up almost half of the approximately 93 million inhabitants. In the last ten years, the number of people who have converted to Christianity has doubled.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at presse@gfbv.de.