Germany closes Iranian consulates after execution of German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd
Photo taken on October 31, 2024 shows sign at the fence of the Consulate General of the Iran in Munich, southern Germany. (AFP Photo)
Germany announced Thursday the closure of Iran’s consulates in Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg following the execution of German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking to reporters in New York, emphasized that Sharmahd was executed despite Berlin’s intense diplomatic efforts at the highest political levels. “We have repeatedly made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” Baerbock stated.
The minister criticized the Iranian regime, asserting it only “knows the language of blackmail, threats, and violence.” She further noted that the new government in Iran shows no willingness to alter its foreign policy trajectory.
“The fact that the murder took place amid recent developments in the Middle East demonstrates that the dictatorial, unjust regime of the mullahs does not act according to normal diplomatic logic,” she said, highlighting the already strained diplomatic relations between Germany and Iran.
Baerbock accused Iran of engaging in destabilizing activities in the region, including direct drone and missile attacks on Israel, supplying weapons to Russia in its war against Ukraine, and repressing its population through kidnappings and murders of dissidents.
Iran condemns Berlin’s decision
In response, Iran summoned the charge d’affaires of the German embassy in Tehran to lodge a formal protest against Germany’s decision.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the closure of the consulates as an “irrational decision” that “cannot be justified.” Iran’s envoy to Germany, Markus Potzel, had already been recalled for consultations prior to this diplomatic escalation.
Sharmahd, a 69-year-old German-Iranian national, was executed on Monday after being convicted of “plotting terror attacks,” which he consistently denied.
He was accused of leading a U.S.-based group called “Tondar,” which aims to restore the monarchy in Iran, overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian authorities alleged that the group had planned several terrorist acts against Iran, supposedly under the directives of Western and American intelligence agencies.
