Iran says Germany's UNSC election defeat reflects backlash over Israel stance

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said Germany’s failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council reflects growing international dissatisfaction with Berlin’s stance on Israel and recent regional conflicts.

Baghaei made the remarks in a post on X on Friday, a day after Germany failed to win one of the rotating seats on the Security Council. Portugal and Austria secured the two Western European seats for the 2027–2028 term, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

“Germany’s failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council — for the first time in decades — is a stark rebuke from the international community,” Baghaei said.

“It reflects growing global outrage over the German ruling establishment’s irresponsible, hypocritical and complicit stance toward the genocide in Gaza and US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.”

Baghaei said Germany, which he described as one of Israel’s largest arms suppliers, had consistently justified what he called Israeli actions against Palestinians.

He also criticised comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who described the recent US-Israeli military campaign against Iran as “the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us”.

“The world is changing. Nations are no longer judging governments by their lofty rhetoric about international law, but by their actual behaviour. Those who choose to ignore this shift will inevitably pay a heavy diplomatic price,” Baghaei added.

According to Press TV, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who had actively campaigned for Germany’s candidacy, described the result as a “bitter defeat” and suggested that Berlin’s strong support for Israel may have contributed to the outcome.

“The fact that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes,” Wadephul was quoted as saying.

News.Az