Iranian regime is on verge of collapse, - Wadephul

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is convinced that the Iranian regime is on the verge of collapse, as it is only able to remain in power through armed violence against its own population.

He made this statement in an interview with ARD's Tagesthemen news program, according to Censor.NET.

"If the regime is only able to suppress demonstrations by force of arms, it is clear that it is on the verge of collapse. It is losing all legitimacy and the right to rule the country," said Wadephul.

He emphasized that Germany is moving from statements of solidarity to concrete political steps. Together with France and the UK, Berlin has secured the restoration of the snapback mechanism, which reinstates international sanctions against Iran for violating its nuclear commitments.

In addition, Germany insists on adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the EU list of terrorist organizations. Wadefu noted that there is currently no consensus among EU countries, but Berlin is calling on its partners to adopt such a decision.

"We are pushing for the inclusion of the KVI in the list of terrorist organizations so that everyone involved in this illegal regime understands the consequences," he said.

Commenting on statements by US President Donald Trump regarding possible military intervention, the minister noted that no final decision has been made in Washington, but the Iranian regime is aware of the US president's readiness to take tough action.

Wadephul emphasized that Europe would act exclusively within the framework of international law, continuing to apply sanctions and refusing formal contacts with the Iranian authorities.

"We condemn this regime; it must be clearly isolated," the minister said. He also added that cooperation between Iran, Russia, and, to some extent, China is "a triangle responsible for a great deal of misery in the world."

Protests in Iran

According to updated estimates by human rights activists, the number of people killed as a result of the crackdown could be as high as 12,000. The protests have been going on for more than two weeks, and the true scale of the casualties remains unknown due to the authorities' concealment of information.

Against this backdrop, US President Donald Trump publicly called on Iranians not to stop protesting and said that aid for the protesters was "on its way." He also noted that the actions of the Iranian authorities were approaching his "red line."

According to Western media reports, the White House is discussing various scenarios for putting pressure on Tehran. At the same time, no final decisions on possible military action have been made yet.

Mass protests in Iran began on December 28 after a sharp drop in the Iranian rial exchange rate, which led to rapid price increases and social discontent among the population.