SPD leader Saskia Esken has called for an end to talks on the nuclear deal with Tehran because of the authorities’ crackdown on the protests in Iran. Now the moment has come “to say clearly: up to here and no further,” said Esken on the ZDF program “Berlin direct” on Sunday. “The talks must end in the way that the women and men on the streets are being dealt with at the moment.”
Opposition came from her own party. Nils Schmidt, foreign policy spokesman for the SPD, said on the show that “this has nothing to do with responsible foreign policy”. Iran would threaten Israel and regional stability with nuclear bombs. In addition, an arms race would have to be feared, said Schmidt.
Iran has been rocked by mass protests for weeks, against which the Iranian authorities are using violence. Hundreds of people were arrested and dozens more were killed, according to human rights groups.
The protests in Iran were triggered by the death of the young Kurd Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died in Tehran on September 16 after being arrested there three days earlier by the vice squad on charges of not wearing her headscarf in accordance with regulations.
USA participates only indirectly
Nuclear talks between Germany, Russia, China, France and Britain with Iran have been stuck for months. The United States is only indirectly involved in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. The agreement was intended to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Under the then US President Donald Trump, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and imposed massive new sanctions on Iran. As a result, Tehran also gradually withdrew from its obligations under the agreement.
