Poll: Majority of Germans sceptical about more Iranian refugees

The escalation in the Iran war has triggered debate in Germany about potential refugee movements from the region, with a majority of people saying in a survey that the country would not cope well with additional arrivals.

Some 73% of respondents said Germany would not cope well with taking in more Iranian refugees, according to a Forsa survey commissioned by Stern magazine and broadcaster RTL and published on Tuesday.

Supporters of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc shared this view at 80%, rising to 98% among voters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Scepticism also prevails among supporters of the centre-left Social Democrats (63%) and The Left party. Only supporters of the Greens did not see major problems for Germany in this regard, according to the survey.

Forsa surveyed 1,000 people in Germany for the representative study on March 19 and 20.

The debate comes amid increasing Israeli and US bombardments of Iran, as well as growing repression by the Iranian leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. International organizations say there are currently no signs of large numbers of people fleeing the country.

Experts are divided on whether a larger wave of refugees will emerge – and whether it would reach Germany. Iran shares its longest border with Iraq, but the northern border with Turkey is considered more relevant for routes towards Europe.

Germany is home to the largest Iranian exile community in Europe, with around 319,000 people, according to integration experts. Of these, 128,000 people with an Iranian background hold German citizenship.