Latest news with #JohannWadephul
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Germany launches additional measures against Russia's 'shadow fleet'
BERLIN, July 1 (Reuters) - Germany has pledged additional measures to further counter Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" operating in the Baltic and North Sea, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday in a statement. Western sanctions aimed at cutting Russia's oil revenues following its invasion of Ukraine have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers that helps Moscow to keep its crude exports flowing. From Tuesday German authorities have begun questioning passing tankers about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, the foreign ministry said, adding that the insurance coverage of "shadow fleet" vessels is often unknown, as they avoid reputable insurers and European ports. "Our goal is very clear: We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in the statement.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet
German authorities are increasingly focusing on tankers in the Baltic Sea with insufficient insurance, which partly serve to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine. Since Tuesday, tanker crews have been asked about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Foreign Office. Affected are ships travelling eastwards from Fehmarn. At the same time as Germany, Sweden is also carrying out checks. "The more complete the picture, the sooner we can take measures up to and including sanctioning the ships together with our partner countries in the Baltic Sea region," German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder explained regarding the approach. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul added, "We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea habitat." According to the joint statement, the collected documents will be examined. Any irregularities could lead to Europe-wide monitoring, measures by the flag state, and possibly inclusion on the list of sanctioned ships. The insurance coverage of these ships is often unknown, as they avoid reputable insurers and European ports, according to the information provided. The measure is part of European efforts to push back the Russian shadow fleet and improve maritime safety and marine environmental protection. Oil tankers belonging to the shadow fleet are partly old and sometimes employ unsafe shipping practices. They have been suspected, for example, of damaging undersea cables with their anchors.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Danish national wanted in Germany arrested after allegedly spying on Jewish targets for Iran
A Danish national was arrested in Denmark on allegations of gathering information on Jewish locations and people in Berlin for Iranian intelligence and will be extradited to Germany, German and Danish authorities announced Tuesday. The man, identified only as Ali S. under German privacy law, was arrested Thursday in the Danish city of Aarhus, according to German prosecutors. He was directed by an Iranian intelligence service earlier this year to gather information on "Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals" in Berlin, prosecutors said. The suspect is accused of spying on three locations in June, presumably in preparation for further intelligence activities, including possible terrorist attacks on Jewish targets, prosecutors said. Iranian Ambassador to Germany Majid Nili Ahmadabadi was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry Tuesday. "If this suspicion were confirmed, it would be an outrageous incident that would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after visiting a Jewish synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Odesa during a visit to the country. The Iranian Embassy in Berlin denied the allegations as "unfounded and dangerous accusations" that it argued appeared to be an attempt to distract from recent Israeli attacks on Iran. "Previous discussions with relevant German authorities have already highlighted that certain third parties are attempting to divert public perceptions from the actual events through artificial staging," the embassy said in a statement. German security authorities stepped up protection for Jewish and Israeli sites in response to the 12-day war last month between Israel and Iran. During the conflict, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany was prepared for Iran to target Israeli or Jewish targets in the country. The suspect allegedly took photos of buildings, including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society and a building where the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was believed to sometimes stay, according to Der Spiegel magazine. "The extended arms of Iranian terror must have no place in Germany," a statement from the German-Israeli Society said, calling on the European Union to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization. Schuster added that "the German government should not only remain vigilant but also take active political action against the Iranian regime. There can be no other consequence for this allegedly planned terrorist attack." Ali S. will be moved from Denmark to Germany, where he will be brought before an investigating judge of Germany's Federal Court of Justice, prosecutors said. The suspect was remanded in custody until July 23, pending extradition to Germany, according to Denmark's national security and intelligence service.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man arrested for ‘spying' for Iran before possible attacks in Germany
A Danish man has been arrested on suspicion of spying in Germany on behalf of Iran, an allegation swiftly denied by the Iranian embassy in Berlin. German prosecutors on Tuesday said the man, identified only as Ali S under German privacy law, was suspected of conducting the surveillance 'in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets'. It added that the individual was suspected of receiving the espionage orders from 'an Iranian intelligence service'. German and Danish authorities said the man had been arrested in Denmark but would be extradited to Germany. The Iranian embassy in Berlin decried what it called 'unfounded and dangerous accusations'. 'Previous discussions with relevant German authorities have already highlighted that certain third parties are attempting to divert public perceptions from the actual events through artificial staging,' the embassy said in a Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said Iran's ambassador had been summoned after the arrest. 'If this suspicion were confirmed, it would be an outrageous incident that would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world,' Wadephul said during a visit to Odesa, Ukraine, shortly after visiting a synagogue there. According to Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, the suspect took photos of at least three buildings in Berlin in June. They included the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society, which has lobbied the European Union to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a 'terrorist' organisation, and a building where the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was said to occasionally stay. Der Spiegel reported that investigators believe the suspect was working on behalf of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the was arrested in the Danish city of Aarhus by local police last week and was awaiting extradition to Germany. During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country was preparing 'in case Iran targets Israeli or Jewish institutions'. He did not provide further details at the time. Berlin has been a key ally of Israel and vocally supported the attacks on Iran, which began with surprise strikes on June 13.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Germany summons Iranian ambassador over alleged spying on Jews
Germany has summoned the Iranian ambassador after the arrest of a man suspected of spying on Jews in Berlin for Tehran, possibly as part of an attack plot. 'We will not tolerate any threats to Jewish life in Germany,' the foreign ministry posted on X on Tuesday announcing the summoning of the envoy, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi. It said the allegations against the suspect arrested in Denmark, a Danish national identified only as Ali S in line with German privacy rules, must be 'thoroughly investigated'. The man was arrested in the eastern Danish city of Aarhus last Thursday, German federal prosecutors said earlier, 'strongly suspected of having worked for an intelligence service of a foreign power'. 'In early 2025, Ali S received an order from an Iranian intelligence service to collect information on Jewish localities and specific Jewish individuals in Berlin,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. He allegedly spied on three properties last month 'presumably in preparation of further intelligence activities in Germany, possibly including terrorist attacks on Jewish targets'. After his extradition from Denmark, the suspect will be brought before an investigating judge at Germany's federal court of justice, the prosecutor's office said, adding that the case against him was based on findings by the German domestic intelligence service. Foreign minister Johann Wadephul, speaking after visiting a synagogue on a trip to Odesa, was quoted by German media as saying that, if confirmed, the case 'would once again demonstrate that Iran is a threat to Jews all over the world'. Justice minister Stefanie Hubig condemned what appeared to be an 'outrageous operation', adding in a statement that 'the protection of Jewish life has the highest priority for the German government'. German news outlet Der Spiegel said Ali S had photographed buildings including the headquarters of the German-Israeli Society in Berlin, which fosters cultural and scientific cooperation between the two nations, and a site where the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, is said to occasionally stay. Ali S has Afghan roots and is believed to have been working for the Quds Force, an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Der Spiegel said. Schuster described the arrest as a 'final signal to all those who still play down the hate and annihilation fantasies of the mullah regime against Israel and Jews around the world'. The Iranian embassy in Berlin rejected the allegations as 'unfounded and dangerous accusations' that it said appeared designed to distract from Israel's recent attacks on Iran. Germany has stepped up already tight security at Jewish sites across the country since the Hamas attacks on Israel of 7 October 2023. Last September, police in Munich shot dead a man armed with a rifle after an exchange of fire near the Israeli consulate. Investigators said they believed the suspect had been planning a terrorist attack against the site. During last month's 12-day war between Iran and Israel, Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch supporter of Israel, said the country was prepared for possible Iranian attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets on German soil. Germany's relations with Iran have been historically tense although it is one of three European powers engaged in diplomacy with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
