Iran International
Iran was among the main foreign powers carrying out intelligence activities against Germany in 2025, targeting opposition groups, pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish targets and the Iranian diaspora, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said in a security report published Tuesday.
The 2025 Report on the Protection of the Constitution, released by Germany’s Interior Ministry and setting out findings by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), said Russia, China and Iran were the main foreign powers carrying out intelligence activities in Germany.
On Iran, the report said one priority of Tehran’s intelligence activities was spying on and taking action against opposition groups and individuals inside and outside the country.
It said intelligence-related spying against pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish targets in Germany was again observed in 2025, adding that the United States and Israel have long been viewed as enemies by Tehran.
The report said Iranian intelligence services also try to achieve their aims through state-sponsored terrorism. It said this had increasingly been the case since the beginning of the Iran war in late February this year and the resulting heightened threat to pro-Jewish, pro-Israeli and US targets.
Iranian cyber espionage activities were mainly directed against the Iranian diaspora in Germany, the report said. It said targets of attack campaigns by the APT group Charming Kitten included Iranians in exile, opposition members, regime critics, journalists, human rights activists and women’s rights activists.
The BfV said Iranian procurement activity in Germany linked to Tehran’s delivery-technology and missile programs remains “persistently high.”
The report said large parts of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure were “severely damaged or destroyed” during the 12-day war last June, leaving the Islamic Republic “dependent on cutting-edge technology from Europe and Germany” to repair and rebuild facilities and obtain replacement systems, including for its delivery systems.
Germany remained one of the most important targets for foreign intelligence services because of its economic strength and role in organisations such as the EU and NATO, the report said.
The report said foreign powers use illegal or illegitimate methods to obtain information, steal know-how, spread disinformation and conduct sabotage and espionage operations, with the aim of influencing political decision-making, eroding trust in democracy and undermining defence capabilities.
The report said the BfV is pursuing a three-part strategy of “detection, disruption and prevention” to counter foreign intelligence threats. It said the strategy includes early identification of threats, disrupting hostile intelligence operations and strengthening preventive measures.
The agency said it provides security warnings, specialist advice and practical support to companies, universities, research institutions, political bodies and government agencies to help protect them against espionage, cyberattacks and illicit procurement.
