{"id":101874,"date":"2026-06-26T07:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T14:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=101874"},"modified":"2026-06-26T06:28:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:28:54","slug":"karl-theodor-zu-guttenberg-on-afd-and-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/prophecy\/karl-theodor-zu-guttenberg-on-afd-and-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg on the AfD and the US-Iran situation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/karl_theodor_freiherr_von.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-100055\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/karl_theodor_freiherr_von-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"438\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/karl_theodor_freiherr_von-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/karl_theodor_freiherr_von.jpg 456w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nKarl-Theodor zu Guttenberg<br \/>\n(photo via free-images.com)<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/cogwriter.htm\">COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A reader sent me a link to an interview with Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LjIO0s2HSv0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Guttenberg fordert offene Auseinandersetzung mit der AfD<\/a>). Although I went to watch it, since it was in the German language, I stopped watching it. But the reader send the following about it in English:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Tensions have been simmering within the CDU\/CSU alliance for some time now regarding the issue of a firewall against the AfD. While Chancellor and CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz continues to emphasize that there will be no cooperation with the AfD, some CDU politicians are questioning this stance. Former CDU Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg also believes the CDU&#8217;s current approach to the AfD is not entirely correct. Although he stresses that AfD officials must clearly be kept behind the firewall, he argues that dealing with the AfD cannot continue in the form of a boycott. He explains on Markus Lanz&#8217;s talk show how, from his perspective, the CDU should deal with the AfD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The AfD is a political party with growing support in Germany that many mainstream politicians fear. We put out a video about them before. Here is a link to our video: <a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"AfD Prelude to a Hitler Beast? bnp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aUHiSloWT7I\" aria-label=\"AfD Prelude to a Hitler Beast? bnp by BibleNewsProphecy 12 minutes ago 14 minutes, 22 seconds 4 views\">AfD: Prelude to a Hitler Beast?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In my view, the interview related to the AfD shows that Herr Guttenberg is still planning on becoming more involved with politics and he is working on building a vision of European politics which he hopes will lead him to gain support.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, he identified himself as a political animal&#8211;and actually\u00a0as a type of a beast:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;<strong>There&#8217;s no doubt whatsoever that I&#8217;m a political animal<\/strong>, a &#8216;zoon politicon&#8217;,&#8221; he told Die Zeit newspaper in what appeared to be a carefully orchestrated comeback after eight months away from the spotlight. \u00a0 <a title=\"http:\/\/in.reuters.com\/article\/2011\/11\/24\/idINIndia-60716820111124\" href=\"http:\/\/in.reuters.com\/article\/2011\/11\/24\/idINIndia-60716820111124\">http:\/\/in.reuters.com\/article\/2011\/11\/24\/idINIndia-60716820111124<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"style17\">&#8220;For <strong>Aristotle&#8217;s<\/strong> <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">zoon politikon<\/span><\/strong> there are no persons beyond the walls of the city; outside the city there exist only <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">beasts<\/span><\/strong> or gods.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"style17\" dir=\"ltr\">page 169, <strong>Urbanization and values<\/strong>, CRVP, 1991, By George F. McLean, John Kromkowski<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He has also been more recently making other political comments.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/pcg.htm\">PCG&#8217;s<\/a> <em>The Trumpet<\/em> site, posted the following related to Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Iran:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"heading heading-bottom\">Guttenberg: The U.S. Capitulates Before Iran<\/h2>\n<p>June 25, 2026<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"first-letter\">\u201cT<\/span>he whole thing is a defeat for Donald Trump,\u201d former German Defense Minister Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I8NMaetq8bw\">concluded<\/a> in his podcast <em>Land in Sicht<\/em> on June 23. Referring to the alleged deal between the United States president and the Iranian regime, he said: \u201cIran is the clear winner in this conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He gave a few examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Iran has more negotiation power due to its control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/li>\n<li>Regime change, other than toward a military dictatorship, is out of the question.<\/li>\n<li>Israel is weakened and more isolated, losing its U.S. ally. &#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Guttenberg said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In my view, Iran has at least gained a few things and is in a far better position than before. Of course, that doesn\u2019t apply to destroyed facilities, ships and military installations. But in fact, the entire document [memorandum of understanding] reads like a declaration of surrender by the U.S. That\u2019s also the kind of rhetoric you hear from Republicans.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He concluded, \u201cIran can stand tall and consider its position in the global south and in the world to be solidified.\u201d &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe regime is firmly entrenched \u2026. They don\u2019t have to fear that the U.S.\u2014previously perceived as the most powerful player in the region\u2014might intervene with the goal of regime change,\u201d Guttenberg said. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat ship has sailed for now,\u201d Guttenberg said. \u201cSo from that perspective, they are also in a much more comfortable strategic position domestically than they were before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only possible regime change is \u201cmoving somewhat away from this theocracy, from a religious leader, toward a constellation characterized more by military dictatorship through the Revolutionary Guards, who are the dominant force right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Another of Trump\u2019s objectives was to undo the disastrous policies of former President Barack Obama, one of which was the nuclear deal with Iran. But even here, Guttenberg believes the Obama deal was better than what Trump is now negotiating. He said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In all likelihood, we\u2019ll have an agreement that falls short of what Obama negotiated back then\u2014or at least remains at that level. All other critical issues, particularly the support for terrorist groups in parts of this region, aren\u2019t even on the negotiating table yet. So, for Iran, this is a wonderful moment right now. &#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It is doubtful if Israel can count on future aid from the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Guttenberg put it this way:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There is a certain tragedy for Israel. \u2026 What Israel wants is to keep these groups\u2014and especially that country\u2014in check, a country that has not yet renounced its publicly and repeatedly stated goal of wiping Israel off the map and destroying it.<\/p>\n<p>It remains Netanyahu\u2019s primary goal to defend his country from Iran and its terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. On this objective, Netanyahu generally enjoys broad support from the Israeli public. \u2026 At the same time, of course, he is also concerned with saving his own political skin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Guttenberg\u2019s verdict: \u201cIsrael is more isolated; there\u2019s no question about that. And that, of course, also plays into the hands of Iran\u2019s objectives and those of the radical forces, who in turn believe that Israel, as such, has no right to exist.\u201d &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Daniel 11:40 prophesies of a \u201cking of the south\u201d that would push against a \u201cking of the north\u201d in the end time. Since the 1990s, <em>Trumpet<\/em> editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified Iran as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrumpet.com\/1213-the-king-of-the-south\">the king of the south<\/a> in prophecy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrumpet.com\/34994-guttenberg-the-us-capitulates-before-iran\">https:\/\/www.thetrumpet.com\/34994-guttenberg-the-us-capitulates-before-iran<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes, Herr Guttenberg is correct that the USA looks to have capitulated before Iran.<\/p>\n<p>As far as Iran being the prophesied King of the South, however, of Daniel 11:40-43, PCG remains wrong about that. See also: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/south.htm\">Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regarding Baron Guttenberg and Donald Trump, back in December 2015, former German Defense Minister <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/karl-theodor-zu-guttenberg-king-of-the-north.htm\">Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg<\/a> called Donald Trump &#8220;that blonde lunatic named Donald&#8221; (Wish List or Reality? Digital Trends in 2016 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg | hub conference. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dgdZUA96UBU. Posted December 11, 2015; watch also <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe's Future\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6Q-GFUE4VEU\" aria-describedby=\"description-id-303591\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=ue7aV7DoBY6PuALXkoyIBA&amp;feature=c4-videos-u&amp;ved=CAoQvxsiEwjwqP-ohpLPAhWOB04KHVcJA0E\">Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe&#8217;s Future<\/a>). Notice also:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former German Defense Minister, warns of an erosion in transatlantic trust, exacerbated by the U.S. presidential-election season. The campaign anthem will be \u201cforget Europe,\u201d he says\u2014and it won\u2019t come only from Donald Trump.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4154044\/geopolitics-2016\/\">http:\/\/time.com\/4154044\/geopolitics-2016\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So, Herr Guttenberg continues his criticisms of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>I also believe that this will assist him, from a political point of view, not only now, but in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Particularly he was an early European critic of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"style4\">In late 2009, a Canadian writer reported:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For the first time Europe speaks with one voice, the low-key Flemish of President Herman Van Rompuy. &#8230; Given the realities of geoeconomics it is not inconceivable that a far more dynamic leader such as German Economics Minister Karl Theodor von und zu Guttenberg might one day be in charge.<\/p>\n<p>Is the past key to the future? If one goes back five centuries China and India ruled the global economy. Turkey dominated the world of Islam. Europe suddenly came together under the leadership of the young dynamic Habsburg Charles V, who ruled from Belgium. Charles sought to halt the expansion of Islam, defend European civilization, unite the continent and forge a Latin American empire. Europe enjoyed a global reach under his reign, not only by military might but by \u201csoft power\u201d and diplomacy.<\/p>\n<p>If America declines, will Europe fill the vacuum, partly in response to the Chinese challenge? To some this seems unlikely but think back to the world of only a scant 10 years ago when the Anglo-American model of stakeholder capitalism stood triumphantly (and perhaps a tad arrogantly) and practically alone on the top of the heap, and how much has changed since then. (Moore K, Lewis D. The decline of America. Ottawa Citizen, Canada \u2013 Dec 24, 2009. Original URL: http:\/\/www.ottawacitizen.com\/technology\/decline+America\/2377175\/story.html; updated URL: <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/news\/the-decline-of-america\">https:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/news\/the-decline-of-america<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The idea that a Habsburg may once again lead Europe was a teaching of the old Worldwide Church of God.<\/p>\n<p>So, since 2009, some started to wonder if the Baron (who was economics minister in mid-2009, and until March 2011 defense minister) might wind up in a much more influential role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"style4\">Here is some information about about Herr Guttenberg and his family:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Baron zu Guttenberg\u2019s grandfather (his mother\u2019s father) was the late German winemaker &amp; Croatian politician the Count of Vukovar. From the Count, Baron zu Guttenberg is descended from the noble house of Elt z.. .At the ripe age of 70, the Count of Vukovar took up arms in defence of the town of Vukovar during the Yugoslav Wars of 1991&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"style4\">The Baron\u2019s wife, meanwhile, is Stephanie, Countess of Bismarck-Sch\u00f6nhausen, great-great-granddaughter of <strong>the \u201cIron Chancellor\u201d, Otto von Bismarck. A portent of this economics minister\u2019s future?<\/strong> (Cusack A. The Freiherr of Finance. October 5th, 2009, http:\/\/www.andrewcusack.com\/2009\/10\/05\/guttenberg-germany\/ viewed 04\/25\/10).<\/p>\n<p class=\"style4\">Karl-Theodor&#8217;s mother, Christiane Gr\u00e4fin und Edle Herrin von und zu Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg (now Christiane Henkell-von Ribbentrop), is a member of the Eltz family, which has strong ties with Croatia. She is the daughter of Jakob von und zu Eltz, a former President of the Association of Winemakers in Rheingau who became active in Croatian politics after Croatian independence, and is related to the princely family of Liechtenstein and is also a descendant of the Habsburg-Lothringen imperial family, including Maria Theresa of Austria. (KARL THEODOR ZU GUTTENBERG. http:\/\/dictionnaire.sensagent.leparisien.fr\/KARL%20THEODOR%20ZU%20GUTTENBERG\/en-en\/ accessed 05\/14\/18)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"style4\">In 2011, the then 97 year-old former WWII codebreaker for the UK, Harry Beckhough put together a video where he stated he wanted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"style4\">&#8230;to introduce to you the man that may well become the new F\u00fchrer of Germany&#8230;Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg&#8230;here is my man to watch as future F\u00fchrer&#8230;more educated, more aristocratic&#8230;than Hitler (<span id=\"eow-title\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Europes New Fuhrer - by Harry Beckhough WW II Codebreaker\">Europes New Fuhrer &#8211; by Harry Beckhough WW II Codebreaker, uploaded February 9, 2011. http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9LplCcxyPo4 viewed 20120501)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"style4\">Notice what his wife mentioned the following in an interview (machined translated from German to English):<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"style4\">When we got married, I knew that he wanted to get involved politically.(Und pl\u00f6tzlich ist dein Mann Minister. Bild, 15 02 2009. http:\/\/www.bild.de\/BILD\/politik\/2009\/02\/15\/bundeswirtschaftsminister-guttenberg-ehefrau\/stephanie-im-interview.html)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"style4\">So, the Baron has long had political ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>There are some Roman Catholic predictions of an end time leader, sometimes known as the Great Monarch, who sounds like the Beast of the Revelation 13:1-10:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Abbot Joachim<\/em> (died 1202): At that time a handsome monarch, a scion of King Pepin, will come as a pilgrim to witness the splendor of this glorious pontiff, whose name shall begin with R (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, pp. 147-148).<\/p>\n<p><em>St. Caesar of Arles<\/em> (died 543) &#8230;there will be a great Pope&#8230;This Pope shall have with him, the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion of the holy race of French kings&#8230;(Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 126).<\/p>\n<p><em>Aystinger the German<\/em> (12th century?): The shall arise in the last times a Prince sprung from Emperor Charles who shall recover the land of promise and reform the Church. He shall be Emperor of Europe. (Connor, p. 31)<\/p>\n<p><em>Josefa von Bourg <\/em>(d. 1807): God will choose a descendant of Constantine, Pepin, and St. Louis, who has been tried by a long period of exile to rule over Europe. He will have the sign of the cross on his breast&#8230;Under him the Catholic religion will spread as never before (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, pp. 181-182; Connor, p.37).<\/p>\n<p><em>Blessed Johannes Amadeus de Sylva<\/em> (15th century): Germany and Spain will unite under a great prince&#8230;until all countries unite under the Great Ruler (Dupont, p. 74).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Note: Although not commonly used in modern English, &#8220;scion&#8221; means &#8220;descendant.&#8221; It has been claimed that the Habsburg line descended from Charlemagne, and King Pepin was the father of Charlemagne. Many of the prophecies suggest that the Great Monarch is French in some manner (see also <span class=\"style41\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/great-monarch.htm\">The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies<\/a><\/span>). But the Baron, while partially of Frankish (French) descent, is considered to be German&#8211;so he fits or does not fit depending upon how many of the prophecies are analyzed.<\/p>\n<p>The Bible itself warns that a &#8220;prince&#8221; (Daniel 9:26-27) will become the &#8220;King of the North&#8221; (Daniel 11:31-40).<\/p>\n<p>And perhaps, he will only remain a prince. While Herr Guttenberg is not ruling over Europe at this time, he still has influence and seems to be taking steps related to European politics. He may well rise much further in time, with just a small number of supporters initially (cf. Daniel 11:23).<\/p>\n<p>The Baron remains someone to watch (Mark 13:37).<\/p>\n<p><em>Some items of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/iran-in-prophecy.htm\">Iran in Prophecy<\/a> Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There are also two related videos: <a dir=\"ltr\" title=\"Iran In Prophecy\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pFZuBX3Tbv4\" data-sessionlink=\"feature=c4-feed-u&amp;ei=RZ-WUsWZIqSBsgelnIG4Bw&amp;ved=CAwQvxs\"><span data-original-html=\"Iran In Prophecy \">Iran In Prophecy<\/span><\/a> <span class=\"style4\">and <a id=\"video-title295\" title=\"Iran and Israel Conflict\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aZv63ScTY8g\" aria-label=\"Iran and Israel Conflict by BibleNewsProphecy 1 day ago 15 minutes 84 views\">Iran and Israel Conflict<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/karl-theodor-zu-guttenberg-king-of-the-north.htm\">Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North?<\/a> Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Greco-Roman Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: <a title=\"Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe's Future\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6Q-GFUE4VEU\" data-sessionlink=\"ei=QhHuVvqCGsSCqwWP8om4BA&amp;feature=c4-overview&amp;ved=CEIQ0h4YACITCPqr7_ahzssCFUTBqgodD3kCRyibHA\">Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe\u2019s Future<\/a>. A shorter one is also available: <a id=\"video-title\" class=\"yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-grid-video-renderer\" title=\"The Middle East, Prophecy, and Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg BNP\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hv-97-faCO0\" aria-label=\"The Middle East, Prophecy, and Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg BNP by BibleNewsProphecy 8 hours ago 15 minutes 68 views\">The Middle East, Prophecy, and Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"style4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/pcg.htm\">PCG: Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God<\/a> Simply calling oneself &#8216;Philadelphia&#8217; does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself &#8220;that prophet&#8221; make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (photo via free-images.com) COGwriter A reader sent me a link to an interview with Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (Guttenberg fordert offene Auseinandersetzung mit der AfD). Although I went to watch it, since it was in the German language, I stopped watching it. But the reader send the following about it in English: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cog-news","category-prophecy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101874"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101877,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101874\/revisions\/101877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}