Berlin shuts down Iranian consulates after Tehran executes German-Iranian national

Germany has announced the closure of all Iranian consulates in the country after the execution of a German-Iranian dual citizen by Tehran. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the move on Thursday. The decision came a day after an Iranian opposition activist named Jamshid Sharmahd was executed on Monday by the draconian regime in Tehran.

Sharmahd was sentenced to death on terror charges. “We have repeatedly made it clear to Iran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” Baerbock told reporters while announcing the closure of the embassies, Politico reported. “I have therefore decided to close the three Iranian consulates general in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Hamburg,” she added.

However, it is important to note that the Iranian embassy in Berlin will remain open and so will the German embassy in Tehran. According to the official from the foreign office, Berlin does not want to completely sever diplomatic ties.

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32 consular members to be affected

According to the Foreign Office in Berlin, the closure will affect 32 consular staff members. The office mentioned that Germany last took such drastic measures after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Meanwhile, Baerbock said that Germany’s diplomatic relations with Iran had reached “more than a low point.” She went on to urge fellow members of the European Union (EU) to do more at the regional level. “I am pushing to put the Revolutionary Guards on the terror list in Brussels,” the German foreign minister remarked.

It is pertinent to note that Germany’s latest decision came two days after the European country recalled its ambassador to Iran. “We have sent our strongest protest against the actions of the Iranian regime & reserve the right to take further action,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X at that time.

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While responding to Germany’s anger, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X that “no terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran. Even if supported by Germany”. “Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd openly and unashamedly led a terrorist attack on a mosque that killed 14 innocent people,” Araqchi said in his post on Tuesday.

With inputs from agencies.