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German Foreign Minister Rules Out War With Iran

November 10, 2004
https://p.dw.com/p/5pw9

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer expressed "great concern" about Iran's nuclear technology programs but said he did not expect Western allies to go to war with Tehran over the issue. "I do not think that we are heading anytime soon into a confrontation similar to the one in Iraq," Fischer told German news weekly Stern in an issue to be published Thursday. "I think it is clear to all those involved that war is not an option," he said, adding that he believed this was also the view held by the United States and Israel. Fischer said he was nevertheless worried by Iran's atomic ambitions, noting that Tehran acquiring a nuclear bomb "would have unforeseeable consequences in one of the most dangerous regions in the world … That would not only threaten Israel but Europe as well." Fischer said Germany would continue to pursue talks with Iran along with its partners in Britain and France. He said it was "too early" to discuss economic sanctions to put pressure on Tehran.