CDU general-secretary Paul Ziemiak told the mass circulation Bild newspaper that “This terrorist regime must feel the consequences of its actions.”
When asked if Iran’s clerical regime should be sanctioned, Ziemiak told Bild: “I firmly believe that such conduct... cannot be without consequences. We also increased sanctions against Russia after MH17’s launch in Ukraine. Iran must feel that the international community does not tolerate such behavior in any way.”
The CDU politician did not specify the type of sanctions. He said that, “there is a whole range of sanctions that we can impose.”
Three German citizens were aboard the downed plane.
Zeimak said that sanctions can be coordinated with the EU or the international community. He added that, “I would not think it right to suggest or exclude something right now, because Iran must face all sanctions. This terror regime, which also supports terror in the entire region and the world, must feel the consequences of its actions. “
Ziemiak’s call to sanction Iran’s clerical regime stands in sharp contrast to Merkel and her coalition government with the Social Democratic Party. Both Merkel and the Social Democrats have worked to circumvent US sanctions targeting Iran. A German official oversees INSTEX (the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) to promote trade among European countries with Iran.
In 2018, the chairman of Germany’s Jewish community, Dr. Josef Schuster, called for “an immediate halt to any economic relations with Iran. Any trade with Iran means a benefit for radical and terrorist forces, and a hazard and destabilization for the region.”
Schuster added that “It seems paradoxical that Germany - as a country that is said to have learned from its horrendous past and which has a strong commitment to fight antisemitism – is one of the strongest economic partners of a regime [Tehran] that is blatantly denying the Holocaust and abusing human rights on a daily basis.
“Besides, Germany has included Israel’s security as a part of its raison d’être,” he said. “As a matter of course, this should exclude doing business with a fanatic dictatorship that is calling for Israel’s destruction, pursuing nuclear weapons and financing terror organizations around the world.”
Merkel’s ignored Schuster’s appeal at the time.