Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi can certainly pat himself on the back for another diplomatic achievement. His German counterpart, Heiko Maas, agreed with him that an effort must be made to extend the United Nations arms embargo on Iran. Speaking with journalists Aug. 27, Ashkenazi said that an extension was needed to prevent Iran from getting "more advanced weapons systems and spreading them around the Middle East." He added, "We would like to see the European countries, not just Germany, preventing it. It's not helpful for the stability of the region."

Echoing Ashkenazi, Maas said, "We are trying to reach a diplomatic solution so that there will be an arms embargo on Iran in the future." Maas also said that concerns outside the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — such as the Iranian ballistic missile program and Iranian growing involvement in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq — need to be addressed. “Iran must change its approach in the region, we are not naive about Iran. We know that Iran plays a dangerous role,” Maas noted.

Of course, this does not mean that Berlin now toes in line with Washington on the snapback measures or that Berlin changed its stance on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Maas was clear about that. For Germany, the JCPOA remains the best deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. “We want to preserve the JCPOA to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said. Still, the understanding between the two ministers offers Jerusalem something to work with, ahead of Oct. 18, when the UN arms embargo on Iran expires.

Ashkenazi met with Maas during a two-day visit to Berlin, on the occasion of the informal European Union foreign ministers meeting. With Germany taking over the EU presidency for the coming six months, Maas played the host. It was a particularly convenient set-up for Ashkenazi’s first formal meeting with the 27 European counterparts. "I just finished a visit that was both important and significant for Israel’s foreign policy and our connection to the European Union, and would like to thank my friend, German FM @HeikoMaas for hosting me,” Ashkenazi tweeted.