GermanyGerman government closes all Iranian consulates general
SDA
31.10.2024 - 14:48
In response to the execution of the German-Iranian dual national Djamshid Sharmahd, the German government is closing all three Iranian consulates general in Germany. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the diplomatic missions in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Munich will be closed, but the embassy in Berlin will remain open.
31.10.2024, 14:48
SDA
This affects 32 Iranian consular officials, who lose their right of residence and must leave the country unless they also have German citizenship.
The reaction to the execution is therefore harsher than many expected. So far, the German government has only resorted to such a punitive measure once: as a result of the attack on Ukraine, four Russian consulates general were closed, albeit with a delay. The decision was only taken 15 months after the invasion in May 2023 in response to the expulsion of hundreds of German civil servants and was only implemented at the turn of the year 2023/24.
Around 300,000 Iranians in Germany
The Iranian embassy in Berlin will remain open and will continue to be responsible for the consular support of the 300,000 Iranians in Germany. The Federal Foreign Office does not provide any information on the number of employees at the embassy.
Iran's judiciary announced Sharmahd's execution on Monday. He was sentenced to death in spring 2023 in a controversial trial following allegations of terrorism. The German government, relatives and human rights activists vehemently rejected the accusations against him.
New low point in German-Iranian relations
German-Iranian relations, which were already severely strained, have reached a new low with the closure of the consulates general. It is quite possible that Iran will take countermeasures.
The Federal Foreign Office had already expelled two Iranian diplomats following the death sentence against Sharmahd. Iran responded by expelling the same number of German diplomats. This is the usual procedure in such cases.
The European Union is also discussing further sanctions against Iran. This could involve people involved in the execution, imprisonment or trial, which the German government considers to be unconstitutional.
Baerbock had announced "serious consequences"
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Baerbock had already strongly condemned the execution on Monday. Baerbock announced "serious consequences" and had the head of the Iranian embassy in Berlin summoned to the Foreign Office. State Secretary Susanne Baumann conveyed her "strong protest against the actions of the Iranian regime" to him in a conversation
There is currently no Iranian ambassador in Berlin. The previous ambassador has left as part of a regular change of personnel and a successor has not yet arrived. Following the killing of Sharmahd, it is considered unlikely that a new ambassador will be sent in the near future.
Federal Foreign Office warns against traveling to Iran
The German ambassador in Tehran, Markus Potzel, was ordered back to Germany by Baerbock for "consultations". He has since left Iran. When he will return is also completely open.
The Federal Foreign Office is warning against travel to Iran and has already asked German citizens to leave the country. It is unclear how many Germans are still in the country. A low three-digit figure has been entered on the Foreign Office's crisis preparedness list.
Sharmahd came to Germany at the age of seven
Sharmahd was born in Tehran in 1955, came to Germany at the age of seven and grew up in Lower Saxony, where he ran a computer store in the state capital Hanover for many years. In 2003, he finally moved to California in the USA, where he was politically active.
In the USA, Sharmahd was active in the Iranian exile opposition group "Tondar" (Thunder). The Iranian government accuses the monarchist organization of being responsible for an attack in 2008 in the megacity of Shiraz that claimed several lives. The accusations cannot be independently verified - surviving relatives of the dead had called for Sharmahd's execution.
Critics have described the trial against Sharmahd as grossly unfair. He was not allowed to choose his own lawyer and his whereabouts remained unknown until the end. Confessions that were broadcast on state television may have been coerced under torture. The Sharmahd trial was presided over by Abolghassem Salawati, also known as the "Judge of Death", who was sanctioned by the USA and the European Union.