Security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project emphasizes that Germany played a crucial role in the negotiations with Iran starting in 2003. Six different German foreign ministers held office until the official end of the JCPOA in 2025. "Certainly, Germany could have reacted differently at various points," says Schindler, "but then it would still have needed the approval of the other negotiating partners. Focusing this solely on Frank-Walter Steinmeier doesn't do justice to the complexity of the situation."