In 1952, diplomatic relations were established between the Federal Republic of Germany and Iran, and the Iranian legation was opened in Germany. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, relations between the two countries have been very strained in some areas. In particular, the German Government is following with concern the human rights situation in Iran, as well as the country’s nuclear programme and its regional policies.

In the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Germany backed the establishment of an independent Fact-Finding Mission to investigate the human rights violations committed during the putting down of protests in the autumn of 2022. Germany also supports the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. In the context of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Germany called on Iran, among other things, to halt executions, to put an end to the discrimination of women, ethnic and religious minorities and to guarantee the freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the freedom of assembly and the freedom of the press.

For a long time, economic relations between Germany and Iran were close. However, due to the sanctions imposed on Iran the volume of trade has fallen sharply: whereas, in 2017, German-Iranian trade amounted to 3.4 billion euro, by 2019 it had declined to 1.7 billion euro. In 2024, the volume of foreign trade amounted to approximately 1.5 billion euro. This decrease can mainly be attributed to the United States’ withdrawal in 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) and the unilateral sanctions that were subsequently reimposed by the US.

German exports to Iran totalled around 1.28 billion euro in 2024 (+6.3 percent above the 2023 level), and included machinery and technical devices, as well as pharmaceutical, optical, photographic, electrotechnical and chemical products. In 2024, Iranian exports to Germany amounted to around 230 million euro in 2024 (down 8.6 percent compared to 2023), and included agricultural and pharmaceutical products, as well as carpets. Iran was thus Germany’s 79th largest trading partner in 2024 (77th in 2023).

Traditionally, there has been a lively exchange between Germany and Iran in the cultural and academic spheres. However, this is currently under great strain and in decline due to the changed political situation. Nevertheless, there is still considerable interest in bilateral cultural and academic exchange within the two countries’ civil societies.