“... The people who have been in prison so far cannot therefore be described as prisoners or detainees. "They are hostages of the regime," says Schindler, who now heads the Counter Extremism Project, a think tank that focuses on terrorism. Ultimately, the Iranians are not interested in giving the German detainees a fair trial, but rather in convicting them on flimsy evidence in order to use them as political bargaining chips. This was also the case with Helmut Hofer. "The Iranians' idea was to exchange him for the terrorist Darabi and his accomplices," says Schindler. Kazem Darabi was the mastermind behind the Mykonos attack in Berlin, in which four Kurdish politicians in exile were killed. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Germany did not allow itself to be blackmailed by Iran.” 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, plays a key role in Tehran's covert dealings. "An Iranian company or an Iranian businessman can buy a company in one of the UAE's free trade zones that is set up there for a transaction," Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. "It has a managing director, a board of directors, and is subject to regular auditing. It's a completely legal company, but after the transaction is completed, this 'overnight company' is dissolved."

CEP Managing Director Dan Roth writes: The 30-day countdown to the automatic reintroduction of U.N. sanctions against Iran—the “snapback”—has begun. Triggered by Britain, France and Germany (the E3), this long-overdue decision is a response to Tehran’s repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. What matters now is that Europe stands firm and sees the process through.

Germany maintains only limited economic relations with oil-rich Iraq – not least because of existing sanctions against Iran. However, many goods such as consumer goods and pharmaceuticals are unaffected, says Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit political organization. The security expert advises German companies to conduct their business with Iraq in euros whenever possible.

Counter Extremism Project Senior Director, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, interviewed: “Iran's announcement of its readiness to enter into a new nuclear agreement has sparked widespread debate about its true motives, ranging from an attempt to de-escalate tensions and appease its economically troubled domestic situation to a desire to guarantee its nuclear rights under international law. While Europe advocates negotiation as the preferred option, Washington and Tehran remain at a crossroads that could pave the way for a settlement or a new confrontation.”