A German firm may be working with Iran to upgrade its gas network, just days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed Germany’s commitment to protecting Israel from Iran.

The firm will provide 100 gas turbo-compressors, along with the technical knowledge to upgrade Iran’s gas distribution network, Ali Reza Gharibi, head of Iran’s Gas Engineering and Development Company, was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency. Although Gharibi did not name the German firm, industry experts say he was referring to Siemens.

The National Iranian Gas Company, however, denied that any agreement existed, saying instead that there was a contract for an “Iranian company to build 100 turbo-compressors in Iran using a foreign partner’s know-how.”

But even if this particular deal turns out not to be authentic, Germany and China are Iran’s top two trading partners after the United Arab Emirates, according to official figures. Can Israel really trust Germany?

Israel and Germany held their first joint cabinet meeting in Germany on Monday. Ahead of the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s historic ties with Germany had “a very important impact on Israel’s security.” Then, during a press conference, Merkel said, “We have made it clear that if the reaction of Iran does not change, we will cooperate in the preparation of wide-ranging sanctions … preferably within the framework of a UN Security Council resolution.” She said that in coming weeks she would work with other nations to increase sanctions against Iran.

And yet her nation is one of Iran’s top trading partners.

Germany talks as if it is a great friend of Israel, but facts like this show that its words don’t match its deeds.

This is leading Israel into a very dangerous position.

In an interview published on the same day as the joint cabinet meeting, former Israeli Ambassador to Germany Avi Primor urged Germany to create a joint European security force for the Middle East. “The problem is that no one is prepared to guarantee Israel’s main need: the country’s security if it pulls out of the West Bank,” he said. “An international partner has to take on that task.”

In short, Primor wants to trust Germany with the security of his nation.

The force, says Primor, “would have to be a fighting, robust force that could ensure security in the West Bank while working with the Palestinians naturally.”

This is a former senior diplomat calling for Israel to entrust its very existence to the nation that tried to wipe the Jews out only 65 years ago. Even if you consider a second holocaust highly unlikely, to place that level of trust in any nation is unwise.

Germany is proving it is an unreliable partner as it talks the talk but won’t walk the walk over Iran. Israel cannot even trust it to keep its word about imposing sanctions. How could it ever trust Germany with its national security?

Yet Bible prophecy shows us that is exactly what Israel will do. Despite Germany’s untrustworthiness, watch for Israel to draw closer to its former persecutor. European “peacekeeping” troops will be invited in to Israel. This is a key prophecy that the Trumpet, and the Plain Truth before it, has been proclaiming for years. When it happens, take note.

For more information, see our articles “Can Israel Trust Germany?” and “The Counterfeit Peacemaker.”