German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned about the Islamic Republic's hybrid attacks in Europe at a joint press conference with Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel in Berlin on Friday, 16 October 2026, saying Berlin will not tolerate this government's hostile actions against Jews living in Germany and against the country's free society.
Wadephul said Europe is now in the Islamic Republic's crosshairs and that Tehran's role in what he called "state terrorism" has become clear. He welcomed yesterday's ruling by the Hamburg court and said the German government will respond to the Islamic Republic's actions.
Hamburg court ruling on IRGC spies
On Thursday, 15 October, the Higher Regional Court in Hamburg convicted two men of spying for the Islamic Republic and helping plan an attack on Jews in Germany; DIAR's earlier report gave the details of the case. Ali Hassan Sarouri, a Danish citizen of Afghan origin, was sentenced to eight years and six months, and Tawab Mohseni, an Afghan citizen, to four years and six months in prison. According to the prosecution, they had kept watch in Berlin on Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society, and the orders came from officials of the IRGC's Quds Force. The ruling can be appealed.
A wave of Islamic Republic plots in Europe
The German foreign minister's warning comes as cases of the Islamic Republic's transnational repression keep reaching European courts. Ken McCallum, head of Britain's domestic intelligence service MI5, said on 13 October that the Islamic Republic has noticeably changed its approach in 2026 and has added military bases to its list of targets. British police say that since 2025 they have foiled more than 20 plots linked to the Islamic Republic, including assassination and kidnapping plans.
As Wadephul spoke, a court in London sentenced Johannes Natland, a 19-year-old Norwegian, to 20 years in prison. He had travelled to Britain for the Foxtrot criminal network, which is linked to the Islamic Republic, to kill someone. In another London court, three Iranian citizens are on trial on charges of gathering information on journalists of Iran International; Mostafa Sepahvand, the main defendant in the case, has said an IRGC officer threatened him and his mother with death.
The main targets of these threats in Europe have been journalists and independent Persian-language media, opponents of the Islamic Republic, and Jewish and Israeli sites. On 17 July, Britain declared the IRGC a threat to national security and placed it on the list of proscribed groups.
The German foreign minister says the Islamic Republic's role in state terrorism against Europe is now clear, and Berlin will respond.
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