TEHRAN – What the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has become is nothing short of a “circus”. That's the assessment from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding the annual event. He shared this blunt view on his X account, likely after witnessing the son of a deposed king—who fled the country with hundreds of millions in Iranian wealth almost five decades ago—being invited to the event to claim popular desire for his monarchical restoration. 

Or perhaps Araghchi reached that conclusion after listening to an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate advocating for American strikes against her own country and for intensified sanctions. Either way, he found it difficult to fathom how low the Europeans have stooped to please Israel.

"Sad to see the usually serious Munich Security Conference turned into the 'Munich Circus' when it comes to Iran," Araghchi wrote. He attributed this decline to a preference for performance over substance, noting that it conveyed several crucial messages: primarily, that Europe has lost all relevance in West Asia; and secondarily, that Germany has actively ensured any remaining continental maneuvering room serves Israeli interests.

“Europe's overall trajectory is dire, to say the least,” the top diplomat wrote. 

Europe's impotence on the international stage first became glaringly evident with the Ukraine war. After effectively pushing Russia into a war and then sacrificing their economies by sanctioning Russian energy – only to get an entire generation of Ukrainian men killed and vast swathes of Ukrainian territory captured – Europeans have been completely sidelined in the U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks aimed at ending the conflict. The UAE's Sheikhdoms, having hosted some of these discussions, likely wield more influence in the talks than Europe.

Following their embarrassing sidelining in Ukraine, the E3 (Germany, France, and the UK) might have salvaged their international standing by playing a constructive role as a bridge between Iran and the U.S., a position they held in 2015 when they became signatories to the JCPOA. Instead, Europeans opted to sacrifice their own interests for Israel. They backed U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran in June of 2025, then triggered a mechanism that reinstated UN sanctions against Iran, which had been suspended under the JCPOA. That move, while ultimately having very limited practical effect due to opposition from China, Russia, and many other countries, nonetheless completely sidelined Europe in Iran’s nuclear file as well. Not only will Europeans not be a signatory to any potential new nuclear deal in the future, but they are also unaware of what is, or could be, transpiring between Iran and the U.S. 

“Once a key interlocutor, Europe is now nowhere to be seen. Instead, our friends in the region are far more effective and helpful than an empty-handed and peripheral E3,” Araghchi stated in his X post. 

Furthermore, Europe’s actions have finally unnerved Iran sufficiently that some voices within the country are now advocating for military aid to Russia in the Ukraine war—a step Iran has notably refrained from taking over the past four years, but one that some analysts suggest should now be considered to "put the Europeans in their place."

And midst all this, as Araghchi noted, Germany is the particular force propelling Europe toward its new, diminished role in West Asia.

Germany had deployed forces in the occupied territories during the 12-day war, according to previous revelations by the Tehran Times. Berlin also helped justify the killing of Iranians and the bombing of the country’s infrastructure by claiming Israel was performing Europe’s "dirty work." The Merz administration has continued to abet Israel’s aggression against Iran, most recently by ensuring anti-Iran figures spoke at the MSC while banning Iranian officials for a third consecutive year. Merz also facilitated the import of pro-war protestors to stage a gathering of around 20,000 in Munich, where they openly called for the bombing and decimation of Iran.

Recent developments and changes within the German government have prompted the country to abandon its traditionally constructive approach toward Iran in favor of an offensive posture, according to Morteza Maki, a European Affairs Analyst speaking to Iranian media.

“We can no longer regard Germany through the lens of the past. We need to revise our perception of Germany and devise our future policies based on that,” the expert stated.