Germany fears Iran a danger to entire Middle East

Israeli and German foreign ministers voice new concern over Tehran's nuclear ambitions

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (R) met her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Berlin. Reuters

Iran is threatening the security of the whole Middle East, Germany said on Tuesday, as it was urged by Israel to consider military steps.

Any nuclear escalation by Iran would be "devastating for the whole region", German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

After meeting Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, she said Germany and Israel had a shared concern over reports Iran was enriching uranium to 84 per cent.

She said there would be "no plausible civilian justification" for such behaviour by Iran, which denies the claims.

"Iran’s regime is not only suppressing its own citizens in the most brutal way," she said. "Iran is also endangering stability and security in the whole Near and Middle East through its support for militant groups.

"Iran must not come into possession of a nuclear weapon. That is our common position and the goal of our diplomatic efforts."

Mr Cohen made a public appeal to Ms Baerbock that "this is the time to take steps" to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear arms.

Asked what kind of measures he had in mind, the Israeli minister said world powers could either tighten sanctions on Iran or "put military options on the table".

Responding to those comments, Ms Baerbock said Germany wanted to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran by diplomatic means.

Iran has openly flouted its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which Israel opposes. Talks between Tehran and European powers have failed to revive the pact.

The regime admits enriching uranium to 60 per cent. A level of 90 per cent is considered weapons-grade but is only a short technical step away. The 2015 deal set a cap of 3.67 per cent.

Mr Cohen said: "The international community cannot ever accept a nuclear Iran."

The Israeli minister, who recently visited Kyiv, said Iran's arms supplies to Russia meant it was now complicit in killing people in Europe.

Israel plans to provide an alert system to Ukraine, which has come under attack from Iranian-made drones used by Russia.

"The fingerprints of Iran's state terrorism can be seen in the case of Ukraine," Mr Cohen said.

"The Iranian regime is no longer just a regional problem but also a problem to Europe and to the world as well."