By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Iran is “one of the worst rogue states in the world,” German Education Minister Karin Prien said on Tuesday.
Tehran “has explicitly and repeatedly threatened Israel’s right to exist for decades and does not recognise Israel,” Prien said in Berlin.
“And if it really is the case that Iran now has a nuclear weapons capability or is very close to it, then Israel naturally has a right to self-defence.”
Prien, the deputy chairwoman of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, is the first openly Jewish female minister in German history.
She has recently given several interviews on the subject of her family history.
She said she hoped Iran’s capabilities could be reduced very quickly so that the threat to Israel and the entire world from a “criminal system” would soon come to an end.
Prien made the comments on the sidelines of an event on early childhood education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe.
Berlin has voiced support for the Israeli government amid the escalating conflict with Iran.
(dpa/NAN)