For Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project, the situation is completely up in the air: “At the moment, many details are still unclear,” he says. According to the expert, it is “not professional to speculate” on whether these are genuine talks between the warring parties. Schindler considers three scenarios possible: Actual talks between Iran and the U.S. Indirect talks mediated by third-party countries in the region. Or: Simply a tactic by the U.S. administration to calm the markets and buy time.

Internal coordination is thus a weak point in Germany’s defense. Often, problems arise as early as the exchange of information between two police agencies. Terrorism expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler emphasizes in an interview with t-online: “There hasn’t been a truly major threat for over 30 years. As a result, responsibilities have become increasingly fragmented.” It must be clear who is responsible for what.

With Diego Garcia lying nearly twice as far as Iran's assumed maximum missile range, DW spoke with experts Farzan Sabet and [CEP Senior Director] Hans‑Jakob Schindler to assess the real capabilities of Iran's missile program — and to examine how seriously governments and the public should take Tehran's warning that Israelis and Americans are now "unsafe worldwide."

Security and terrorism expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler warns of the consequences of a war with Iran: While the regime may be militarily weakened, it remains dangerous. Should it survive, oppression and nuclear armament would simply start all over again.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses the situation in Iran. 

In an interview, [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses Europe’s role in the Strait of Hormuz and the possibility of deploying ground troops. He says that the abstract threat to Germany has increased.

On March 22, 2016, 32 people were killed in attacks in Brussels. From Nice to Berlin to Paris: Terrorism has struck many cities across Europe. How is the EU combating this threat and its consequences? With Kathrin Schmid and Andreas Meyer-Feist. Guest: Alexander Ritzmann, terrorism researcher [CEP Senior Advisor]. Interview on the security situation in the EU and the updated EU Counter Terrorism strategy

CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller writes: Neither France nor Germany remains spared from the threat of Islamist terrorism: In France, the threat level remains high. In February 2026 alone, two 16-year-old boys were charged with planning a terrorist attack, and a released extremist offender attacked a gendarme with a knife at the Place de l’Étoile in Paris. Germany, too, remains “unabatedly in the crosshairs of ISIS,” as the knife attack in Solingen in August 2024 demonstrated. In the fight against Islamist extremism and terrorism, however, rapid and effective responses to such security risks are in a constant tension with the rule of law and long-term violence prevention. Germany and France—close friends, neighbors, drivers of European integration, and competitors—weigh these factors differently on this issue. Therefore, it is worth briefly comparing the three most important differences in counterterrorism.

[CEP Senior Director] Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler views Tehran’s threat as a kind of act of desperation, but he also stresses that this warning must be taken seriously. While it may not be “our war,” he says, it is “our problem.”

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on Islamist extremism in Germany and the death of Khamenei.