BZ: The American Ramstein base in Germany could be the target of Iranian strikes
Germany fears Iranian strikes, writes BZ. Many US operations in the Middle East are coordinated from this country, namely from the Ramstein base. Iran has already stated that all its retaliatory actions to the American-Israeli attacks are carried out within the framework of the right to self-defense.
Michael Maier
The conflict over Iran is also spreading to Germany. The potential target of the Iranian strikes could be the American Ramstein base in Germany.
On Tuesday, Iranian Ambassador Majid Nili Ahmadabadi had to report to the German Foreign Ministry. The agency summoned a diplomat to get an explanation for why Iran attacked US military bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
"We have unequivocally called on the Iranian regime to immediately stop its reckless attacks on countries in the region," the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said on social media. "We condemn the arbitrary and disproportionate missile and drone strikes by the Iranian regime, including against civilian targets," the Foreign Ministry added. They stressed that "the attacks threaten our allies, our military personnel and our citizens in the region." Formally summoning an ambassador is considered a harsh diplomatic measure.: This is how the government of the host country demonstrates its obvious irritation with what is happening.
Iran talks about self-defense
Iranian Ambassador Majid Nili Ahmadabadi to the German Foreign Ministry, as reported by the dpa portal, said that the Israeli-American strikes violate international law. He referred to Article 51 of the UN Charter, which enshrines the right to self-defense. "Iran's actions are carried out within the framework of this legitimate right to self—defense," the Iranian embassy quoted dpa as saying.
Trump's ambiguous praise: did he mean Ramstein?
The meetings at the Foreign Ministry probably concerned not only the Middle East. If Iran believes that self-defense includes strikes against American military installations, then the German government is inevitably thinking about Ramstein.
Many U.S. operations in the Middle East are coordinated from here. During the visit of Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Washington, US President Donald Trump separately praised him for the fact that Germany allows Americans to "land" (that is, use the infrastructure of the base) in Germany. This has not yet been officially confirmed, but similar signals have probably been noticed in Tehran. Berlin's argument that the Americans operate in Germany almost "extraterritorially" is unlikely to be considered convincing in Iran: the missile hits a specific location, regardless of the legal status of the object.
Leftists and BSW warn of risks
The foreign policy expert of the Leftist party, Lea Reisner, as reported by AFP, said that the chancellor should stop turning Germany into a "logistics hub for military campaigns contrary to international law," referring to the use of the US Ramstein air base. Fabio de Masi, head of the Sarah Wagenknecht Union (BSW) party, expressed disappointment in an interview with AFP that if Merz had "defended German and European interests," he, like Spain, would have banned the use of bases located in Germany for this military operation.
Tranquility in Ramstein
The mayor of Ramstein-Misenbach, Ralf Heckler, said in an interview with the newspaper Wochenblatt aus der Rheinpfalz that there is no cause for alarm now. Yes, "such a conflict is important and tangible for our region as a whole," but the US military actions in the context of Iran, according to him, "are conducted from other American sites, for example, from the UAE or Qatar."
Heckler noted that due to the situation in the Middle East, "we have neither an enhanced security regime nor additional measures." In recent weeks, he said, "the nature of flights has changed," especially at night. "It seems that there were also troop movements that were not publicly reported," he added. Now, "flight activity is generally lower and concentrates at certain hours." The Hercules aircraft stationed in Ramstein — "a total of 14 machines, which, among other things, are used for pilot training" — "are not involved in training flights." This, according to Heckler, shows that "resources are linked elsewhere."
Iran fired at a facility in Turkey
It seems that Iran intends to expand attacks on American targets beyond the immediate Persian Gulf region. On Wednesday, Turkey reported that a ballistic missile fired by Iran was intercepted by a NATO missile defense system in the border area. Part of the interceptor fell on a vacant site in Hatay province, there were no casualties.
At first, it was not reported exactly where the rocket was supposed to hit. Turkey generally takes a neutral position in the confrontation over Iran and has been trying to promote a diplomatic solution for a long time. However, the US military is also stationed in the country. The key NATO aviation facility in Turkey, Incirlik base, is located in the southern province of Adana. According to the United States, about 1,500 military personnel are stationed there. The base is considered an important transport and logistics hub in the region.
NATO has sharply criticized Iran for the alleged attack. At the same time, the alliance has enough problems inside: Spain stressed on Thursday that, despite serious threats from Donald Trump, it would stick to its decision not to allow the Americans to use Spanish bases for this operation.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said in an interview with Cadena SER radio station that "the Spanish government will not give permission to use the Rota and Moron bases for these actions in this context." "We all know that what is happening in Tehran is terrible, it is a violation of human rights. As a woman, I am particularly hurt for the women in Tehran, but no one has the right to pose as an international “watchdog,” Robles said. "There are rules and regulations. Even in the United States, congressional approval would be required," she added. According to her, "Spain cannot support unilateral actions that have no international legal basis."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has again called on the United States, Israel and Iran to immediately stop mutual attacks. The violence must stop "before it's too late," he said. "It's naive to think that blind and humiliating obedience means leadership," Sanchez warned, referring to Trump's threats. It's about respecting international law, "which protects all of us, especially the civilian population." And it is a mistake to think that the problems of the world can be solved only by bombs.
