Politics Germany's Foreign Office summons Iran's ambassador
In view of the extremely harsh action taken by Iranian government forces against demonstrators, Germany's Federal Foreign Office has summoned the country's ambassador in Berlin. The brutality of the regime is shocking, the German ministry said on Platform X, explaining its decision. "We urge Iran to end the violence against its own citizens and to respect their rights."
13.01.2026, 17:59
SDA
The formal summoning of an ambassador is considered a harsh diplomatic measure by which the government of the host country signals its clear displeasure. France, Denmark and Great Britain, among others, also summoned the Iranian ambassadors to their countries. The EU also summoned the Iranian ambassador responsible.
Triggered by a severe economic crisis, Iranians have been demonstrating across the country for more than two weeks against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian system of rule. There have been violent riots and serious unrest in cities. These are the most serious protests in years. Many demonstrators have been killed.
The Oslo-based human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) puts the number of deaths since the outbreak of the protests at the end of December at at least 648. The US-based human rights network HRANA also spoke of almost 650 deaths. These include 505 demonstrators - including nine children - and 133 military and police officers.
According to some estimates, even more than 6,000 people could have been killed, IHRNGO wrote on X. Some estimates put the number of arrests at more than 10,000. The information cannot be independently verified at present.
Iranian judiciary indicts first protesters
Iran's judiciary brought the first protest participants to court. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the public prosecutor's office in Tehran had filed charges against several of those arrested. Particularly serious cases of "rioters" would be given priority and dealt with separately. This also includes the accusation of "waging war against God" - an offense that can be punished with the death penalty under Islamic law in Iran. On Monday, Iran's head of the judiciary demanded retribution for security forces and police officers killed during the protests.
Trump announces help for Iranian protesters
In view of the mass protests, US President Donald Trump suspended all talks with the leadership in Tehran until further notice and promised the demonstrators support. "Iranian patriots, keep protesting! Take over your institutions!", he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He had canceled all meetings with Iranian government representatives until the "senseless killing of protesters stops". "They will pay a heavy price," Trump wrote, announcing that help was on the way. What exactly he meant by this was initially unclear.
Merz expects political upheaval in Iran
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) expects a political upheaval in Iran in view of the mass protests. "If a regime can only hold on to power by force, then it is effectively finished. I assume that we are now seeing the last days and weeks of this regime," he said during his trip to India.
US President Donald Trump wants to increase the pressure on the leadership in Tehran. The Republican announced punitive tariffs of 25 percent on imports from countries that do business with Iran. The measure is effective immediately, Trump explained on his Truth Social platform. However, details remained unclear.
