German Intelligence Agency Says Iran Seeks to Develop its Nuclear Program

A new cruise missile unveiled by Iran and called martyr Abu Mahdi is seen in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
A new cruise missile unveiled by Iran and called martyr Abu Mahdi is seen in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
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German Intelligence Agency Says Iran Seeks to Develop its Nuclear Program

A new cruise missile unveiled by Iran and called martyr Abu Mahdi is seen in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
A new cruise missile unveiled by Iran and called martyr Abu Mahdi is seen in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

Tehran was seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction technology and ballistic missile systems in 2019, a German state intelligence agency has confirmed.

Saarland’s Department for the Protection of the Constitution said Iran was one of three foreign counties that had sought to advance its weapons of mass destruction program on German soil.

Several intelligence reports from different states have affirmed Iran’s attempts to purchase components used in the development of nuclear and missile weapons during 2019.

Each of the 16 German federal states has its own domestic intelligence services, which issues an annual report documenting threats to the state’s democratic system.

For instance, a 181-page report by Baden-Wurttemberg's state intelligence agency stated that “countries like Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are making efforts to optimize corresponding technology.”

“They aim to complete their arsenals, improve range, applicability and effectiveness of their weapons and develop new systems,” the report noted.

Also, a report on the proliferation of atomic, biological and chemical weapons from Baden-Wurttemberg's state intelligence agency revealed how these countries continue to make illegal procurement efforts in Germany to perfect the range, deployability and impact of their weapons.

Previous reports by other state-level domestic intelligence agencies working within Germany’s federal system have, in recent years, reported that Iran has used its spy networks to advance its nuclear weapons program.

The Jerusalem Post reviewed the 112-page intelligence report, which was released last week and dubbed “Overview of the situation,” addressing security threats faced in 2019 by the small west-German state Saarland.

“Iran, Pakistan and to a lesser extent Syria, made efforts to procure goods and know-how for the further development of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,” wrote Saarland’s intelligence officials, in an indication to the capability to launch missiles.

The US and many Gulf nations believe that the Iranian regime has been seeking for many years now to develop nuclear weapons.

The Post contacted the Saarland domestic intelligence agency regarding the nature of the illicit proliferation material that Iran sought in 2019.

Katrin Thomas, the spokeswoman for the domestic intelligence agency, replied by an email on Friday that “the Protection of the Constitution in Saarland does not pass on any information on the activities of groups or individuals.”

According to the report, the intelligence services of these countries are present with varying staffing levels “at the respective official and semi-official representations in Germany and maintain so-called legal residencies there.”



6 Presumed Dead after Private Plane Crashes in Upstate New York

A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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6 Presumed Dead after Private Plane Crashes in Upstate New York

A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A twin-engine plane that crashed into a muddy field in upstate New York has left all six passengers aboard presumed dead.
The plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, was reported down at noon on Saturday in Copake, New York, around 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its destination at the Columbia County Airport, The Associated Press reported.
All six people who were aboard the plane were presumed dead, according to an official familiar with the crash, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore on Saturday confirmed the crash was fatal but declined to reveal how many people died.
“It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” Salvatore said during a news conference near the scene, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Albany.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it had deployed an investigation team. They were expected to provide additional details about the investigation Sunday afternoon.