The Constitutional Protection Offices of the German states of Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia have released their 2023 reports, highlighting a surge in espionage and terrorist activities orchestrated by the Iranian regime within Germany.
The annual report from Hamburg’s Constitutional Protection Office emphasizes that the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) predominantly controls and coordinates Iran’s espionage operations in Western countries. These activities are primarily focused on the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), organizations dedicated to overthrowing Iran’s religious dictatorship.
The Hamburg report also warns of the Iranian regime’s deep infiltration and comprehensive support of Islamic fundamentalist centers in Germany, cautioning against Iran’s efforts to export its reactionary ideology. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution assesses that pro-regime institutions in Germany function as tools of the Iranian state, promoting its theocratic doctrine.
Furthermore, the report underscores the dire human rights situation in Iran, noting systematic restrictions on personal and political freedoms by the state installed in 2021. Iran has the highest execution rate relative to its population globally, and this trend is increasing. Arbitrary arrests forced confessions, and pressure on families are common, while prisons remain overcrowded and extremely unsafe. Freedom of expression is severely limited, with internet access heavily monitored and controlled, and peaceful protests often met with violent repression.
Europe should change its approach and develop a new Iran policy. It's the responsibility of European countries to blacklist the MOIS and IRGC, and to shut down its embassies and centers https://t.co/IWh9bJOZe4 #ShutDownIranTerrorEmbassies @HeikoMaas @dpa @eu_eeas
— Masumeh Bolurchi (@MasumehBolurchi) May 9, 2021
The North Rhine-Westphalia report presents a similarly alarming picture of the clerical regime’s espionage activities. It details how Iran’s intelligence services employ all available means in Germany and Europe against exiled opposition groups, ranging from traditional investigative methods and infiltration to cyber-attacks and violence against high-profile dissidents labeled as enemies of the state.
The report recounts several incidents of Iranian-sponsored terrorism, including the case of an MOIS operative with diplomatic credentials at the Iranian embassy in Vienna. In February 2021, a Belgian court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for planning a bomb attack on the MEK’s annual gathering in Villepinte, near Paris, in 2018. He had orchestrated the plot using a Belgian-Iranian couple. This marked the first time since the 1979 revolution that an Iranian state official was prosecuted and convicted for planning a terrorist attack in Europe. However, in May 2023, the convicted diplomat was exchanged for a Belgian NGO worker imprisoned in Iran.
The North Rhine-Westphalia report also highlights the ongoing threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, noting that Tehran continuously violates the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The report anticipates further attempts by the regime to illicitly procure technology in Germany, making non-proliferation efforts crucial to mitigating the threat from Iran.
Verfassungsschutz: #Iran-Moschee in Hamburg soll „islamische Revolution“ umsetzen https://t.co/wzxTSlEs61 via @welt Um den iranischen Staatsterrorismus &Fundamentalismus zu bekämpfen, ist Austausch mit der iranischen Hauptopposition (#NWRI & #MEK) notwendig. #FreeIran2021
— Javad Dabiran (@JavadDabiran) July 16, 2021
Additionally, the report mentions a specific instance of Iranian state terrorism involving the arson attack on a synagogue in Bochum linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from within Iran, leading to the perpetrator’s conviction by the Düsseldorf court.
Following the release of these reports, the German office of the NCRI issued a statement underscoring the report’s findings. It reiterated that the Iranian regime’s existence relies on brutal repression, exporting terrorism, fundamentalism, and warfare. The NCRI called for the German federal government to adopt a firm and practical policy:
- Listing the MOIS and IRGC as terrorist organizations and expelling their agents.
- Shutting down Iranian embassies and official and unofficial representations involved in espionage, terrorism, and procurement for nuclear and oppressive projects.
- Activating the “snapback” mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 as one of the parties to the nuclear agreement.