World
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks during a press conference in Berlin on March 5, 2026. Photo: Screengrab/ Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany will not take part in efforts to change Iran’s political system, the country’s foreign minister said on Thursday, stressing that any future political transformation must be decided by the Iranian people themselves.
Responding to a question by Rudaw's Alla Shally while speaking to reporters regarding whether Germany supports a federal political system in Iran, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the German government would not "participate in concrete measures for regime change in any country, including Iran," adding that they "maintain in contact with some opposition groups; that is correct and necessary."
“We stand on the side of the people in Iran,” Wadephul said, adding that "this particularly includes the Kurdish men and women who suffer in a specific way under this nefarious regime"
He referred to the case of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, a Kurdish girl from Iran, whose death in custody in 2022 sparked nationwide protests in the country and drew global attention to the treatment of women and minorities in the country.
“The fate of Amini reached the whole world a few years ago and sparked major protests even then,” Wadephul said.
Referring to the situation of Kurds in Iran, Wadephul hoped that "it will be possible for the Kurds to live a life of dignity and equality in Iran in the future."
Wadephul also said that they "cannot decide that from here" to support the Kurds in changing the regime, adding that, however, they rely "on the Iranian people themselves being the ones who are ultimately able to take their fate into their own hands and perhaps overcome this regime."
His remarks come amid the ongoing US and Israel military operation against Iran that has entered its sixth day. The initial airstrikes on Tehran killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders.
In its retaliatory response, Tehran has targeted several regional countries that host US military bases, including the Kurdistan Region.
On Thursday, several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups categorically rejected reports by some international media outlets claiming that their forces had crossed into the predominantly Kurdish western Iran (Rojhelat) to fight Iran.
An official from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity, affirmed, “None of our forces have entered the territory of Eastern Kurdistan [Rojhelat].”
“Such media reports are intended to create divisions within the coalition of East Kurdistan forces and are not true,” he stressed.
Wadephul’s remarks follow a meeting at the White House on Tuesday between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump, which took place against the backdrop of the expanding conflict with Iran.
During the talks, Trump defended the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign, saying Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly weakened, while warning that the conflict could spread further across the region.
Merz, meanwhile, expressed concern about the potential global consequences of the fighting, particularly the risk of disruption to energy supplies and major trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
European governments have been attempting to balance their response as the conflict deepens, with some allies backing Washington’s position while others warn that an escalating military campaign could further destabilize the already volatile Middle East.
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