DIE ZEIT: Minister, you look just the same as always, but people look at you differently. Do you mind?

Steinmeier: Yes, I did try to adapt to my new profile. I thought it would have been more difficult. You get used to dealing with microphones and cameras quicker than I had thought and indeed feared.

ZEIT: You have now been in office for 122 days.

Steinmeier: Really?

ZEIT: What was for you the biggest challenge in this short, yet long time?

Steinmeier: It has been 122 days of bigger and smaller challenges. The greatest remains dealing with the Iranian nuclear programme.

ZEIT: Is that also the greatest challenge for the world? Or like in Iraq are we just getting obsessed by threat scenarios?

Steinmeier: If you look at the debate currently underway in the EU-3 but also in the three-plus-three initiative - that is plus the United States, Russia and China, you can clearly see that the Iraq lesson has been learnt and all are taking due care. In the case of Iran, it is crucial above all else that the international community stands together.

ZEIT: What is for you the greatest concrete threat emanating from Iran?

Steinmeier: The threat could be that the suspicion voiced by ElBaradei in 2003 is confirmed: that there has been successful research activity on a national nuclear programme which goes beyond developing civilian capabilities. That would be a twofold threat: on the one hand because we cannot rule out the use of such weapons somewhere in the world and on the other hand because a further nuclear-weapon state in the Middle East would stir ambitions elsewhere. That in turn would have implications: firstly a further destabilization in a region where we would actually need the exact opposite and secondly a setback for the non-proliferation regime anchored in the Non-Proliferation Treaty which would be extremely unwelcome.

ZEIT: Should the Americans speak directly to Iran, not just about Iraq but also on the real matter at hand?

Steinmeier: If there are topics where the Americans are prepared to talk to the Iranians, it would be hard to understand why one topic were left out which without any doubt has triggered major concerns in recent years amongst the international community. The British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw comes to the same conclusion.

ZEIT: Is Iran not dependent on cooperation given the weak state of its economy?

Steinmeier: There are two things which the Iranians need. Firstly the fact that the EU-3 has managed presumably more than Iran expected to keep the international community together in the face of the current nuclear ambition. The other thing is our European negotiation strategy which aims to bring Iran to the conclusion that for economic reasons it ought to communicate normally with the region and the rest of the world.

ZEIT: Are Western fears less than those of Iran in the face of economic conflict?

Steinmeier: If we presume that Iran is very much dependent on economic cooperation with the West and if we want to move Iran in a certain direction, then we must not be too hasty in ruling out any options. I don't know whether this will end up being economic sanctions through the UN Security Council. No one can predict how China and Russia will react. We aren't at that stage yet.

ZEIT: Why can India have nuclear weapons but not Iran?

Steinmeier: For me nothing has changed - we will continue to counter the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. The difference is that India already has nuclear weapons and as a non-signatory state to the NPT has to date not subscribed to its principles. I don't want to claim your questions are easy to answer. But of course it makes us think if the International Atomic Energy Agency and more specifically ElBaradei says that before we jump to conclusions we should think together about whether it isn't worth gradually bringing a non-signatory state of the NPT which has nuclear weapons under the umbrella of the non-proliferation regime and drawing it in more. One can also consider whether it wouldn't have been better to come to such an arrangement at a later date given the ongoing negotiations with Iran.

ZEIT: Were you told before Bush unpacked his nuclear gifts in India?

Steinmeier: Usually he calls me in the evening, he didn't this time (laughter). All joking apart, we knew that the Americans and the Indians were negotiating such an agreement but we didn't know the details. I had the feeling the region was pretty surprised.

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