It says two things. First, they are correct, and likely assuming that ISIS will cross the border at some point...and these weapons that the Saudis hold will become ISIS weapons. Just to have forty German tanks fall into the hands of ISIS is a big deal.
Second thing...it’s sending a message to radical Saudis...they can deal with you. Sidestepping Germany and using France to buy the hardware? I doubt that the French are eager to get into the episode....same for Spain and a host of European countries. Maybe Brazil will make up for the sales loss.
I would prepare myself for a coup of some type in Saudi Arabia for 2015. Oil might be stopped for a couple of months, and this might flip the price back to a hundred.
The Germans sold off a lot of assets after the end of the Cold War, including a number of Patriot Batteries to South Korea and the Emirates. Wonder if they are just looking for a pretext to keep their powder dry in the face of Putin?
Siemens sells centrifuges to Iran, IIRC.
Germany’s siding with Iran...