AP, dpa, and AFP reported on the 31st (local time) that the German government ordered the closure of all three Iranian consulates in the country in response to the execution in Iran of Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd.
Sharmahd, who had dual citizenship with Iran and Germany and lived in the United States, was kidnapped by Iranian security forces in Dubai in 2020. Iranian judicial authorities said that 69-year-old Sharmahd was sentenced to death in Iran on charges of terrorism on the 28th of last month.
The decision announced today by German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock to close Iranian consulates in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich will leave Iran with only its embassy in Berlin.
The German Foreign Ministry had already summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires on the 29th of last month to protest the execution of Sharmakhd, and German Ambassador to Iran Markus Potzel also protested the execution to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi and decided to discuss the issue with his home country. returned home for
Sharmahd was one of several Iranian dissidents kidnapped in recent years while working abroad as he criticized the collapse of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, including Germany.
Iran is accused of killing 14 people, including 5 women and a child, and injuring more than 200 in a 2008 mosque attack by Shahrmakh, a resident of Glendora, California, and the Iranian Dynasty, a little-known group based in the United States. It accused KAI and Tondar militants of planning other attacks. Tondar, which means thunderbolt in Iranian, is an organization that seeks to rebuild the dynasty before the Islamic Revolution.
Iran also accused Sharmahd of disclosing classified information about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s missile bases on a TV program in 2017.
Iran opposed Germany’s plan. Foreign Minister Arakci wrote on
He accused German Foreign Minister Verbock of “gaslighting” and said “your government is complicit in the ongoing genocide in Israel.” Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has strongly criticized Iranian attacks on Israel as tensions rise over the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
The AP pointed out that the closure of the consulate, a diplomatic tool rarely used by the German government, is a signal of the downgrading of diplomatic relations between the two countries, to the point where Foreign Minister Verbock said, “They are already in a bad state.”
Last year, the German government ordered the Russian government to close four out of five consulates in Germany in response to the Russian government’s restrictions on the number of employees at the German embassy and related institutions.
“We have made it clear to Iran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” Foreign Minister Verbork said. The European Union (EU) imposed new sanctions on Iran in mid-month and banned Iran’s Revolutionary Guards from the EU’s ranks. He mentioned that they are calling for it to be listed as a terrorist organization.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, expressed concern that “the execution of a European citizen is seriously damaging the relationship between Iran and the European Union.”
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The recent decision by the German government to close all three Iranian consulates in Germany—a response to the execution of Iranian-German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd—marks a significant deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries. Jamshid Sharmahd, who was kidnapped by Iranian security forces in Dubai in 2020, was sentenced to death for alleged terrorism charges linked to his political activism against the Iranian regime.
The German Foreign Minister, Annalena Verbock, announced the closure of the consulates in Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, leaving Iran with only its embassy in Berlin. This move symbolizes Germany’s strong protest against Iran’s actions, particularly the execution of a German citizen, which Verbock indicated would have “serious consequences.”
This situation is further complicating the existing tensions, especially against the backdrop of rising hostilities linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Arakchi, responded aggressively, accusing Germany of complicity in alleged atrocities in Israel, which underscores the heightened political stakes.
The implications of these diplomatic gestures, including the closure of consulates—an unusual move for Germany—signal not only a shift in bilateral relations but also resonate with broader European concerns over human rights abuses and Iran’s international behavior. The closure comes in conjunction with new European sanctions aimed at holding Iran accountable for its actions and signals a clear message from Europe against the backdrop of regional conflicts and human rights violations.