Germany and Iran have been linked long before either took their modern shapes. What began as cultural curiosity grew into diplomacy, commerce and occasionally confrontation. This is a concise account of some key episodes in that shared history.
Goethe and Persian poetry
In 1814 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe encountered a translation of the Divan of Hafez and was deeply affected. He felt a spiritual kinship with Hafez’s themes of love, transience and mystical insight and, five years later, expressed that connection publicly in his West–Eastern Divan, a book meant to bridge cultural divides. Goethe’s fascination with Persian verse helped popularize Iranian poetry in German-speaking Europe; the symbolic link endured into modern times when, in 2000, Iran’s president Mohammad Khatami and German president Johannes Rau unveiled a Hafez–Goethe monument in Weimar.
Persia in the age of empires
By the 19th century Persia (later Iran) had become a focal point in the rivalry between Britain and Russia known as the Great Game. Seeking alternatives to Anglo‑Russian dominance, Persian rulers courted European partners. In 1857 Persia and the Kingdom of Prussia concluded a formal trade and friendship treaty. The Qajar ruler Naser al‑Din Shah’s 1873 trip to Europe — including a meeting with Emperor Wilhelm I in Berlin — illustrated Persian interest in European technology and reform. Germany established its first diplomatic mission in Persia in 1885, formalizing a growing relationship.
Wilhelm Wassmuss: agitation and intrigue
During World War I German efforts to undermine British power in the region included the work of Wilhelm Wassmuss, a German diplomat fluent in Persian who encouraged tribal resistance against the British. Nicknamed “the German Lawrence of Arabia,” he supported guerrilla activity and at times captured British positions; ultimately, British military strength prevailed. After the war Wassmuss tried to remain in Persia, even setting up an agricultural project in Bushehr to compensate former allies, but the venture failed. He returned to Germany in 1931 and died shortly thereafter.
The Pahlavi era and closer ties
With Reza Shah Pahlavi’s rise in 1925, Iran pursued rapid modernization and technical collaboration with European partners, including Germany. The Weimar Republic and Iran signed a friendship and commercial treaty in 1929, and German engineers and firms became involved in Iranian rail, aviation and industrial projects. Reza Shah continued relations after 1933; in 1935 he promoted the international use of the name “Iran.”
World War II interrupted that cooperation: Iran declared neutrality but was occupied by British and Soviet forces in 1941, and Reza Shah was forced to abdicate in favor of his son Mohammad Reza Shah. Full sovereignty returned in 1946. In the postwar decades West German companies again played roles in building factories, hospitals and roads; the two states signed an arms agreement in 1966, and German involvement in the Bushehr nuclear project began in 1974.
Soraya and a public saga
The Shah’s 1951 marriage to Soraya Esfandiary‑Bakhtiary — who had an Iranian father and a German mother — captured European attention. Her cosmopolitan background and striking presence made her a media figure; the marriage collapsed in 1958 when it became clear she could not provide an heir. German press coverage of the divorce was harsh and embarrassed Iranian officials; proposals for legal protections for visiting foreign dignitaries were discussed in Germany but never became law.
The Shah’s 1967 state visit to West Germany revealed deeper strains. Demonstrations by Iranian students and expatriates against political repression met heavy police response; clashes escalated, and one protester was fatally shot. The episode left lasting tensions that were handled through diplomacy rather than public reconciliation.
Revolution and a new era
After the 1979 revolution most Western governments distanced themselves from the Islamic Republic, but West Germany sought engagement. In 1984 Foreign Minister Hans‑Dietrich Genscher became one of the first high‑ranking Western officials to visit the new Iranian leadership. Over subsequent decades the relationship has been shaped by political disagreements, human rights concerns and divergent regional policies, moving far from the close technical and cultural partnership of earlier eras.
This article was originally written in German.