Relations with Iran
Federal government closes all Iranian consulates general
Updated 10/31/2024 – 4:31 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
The federal government waited three days. But now the reaction to the execution of a German citizen in Iran is harsher than many expected.
In response to the execution of German-Iranian dual citizen Djamshid Sharmahd, the federal government is closing all three Iranian consulates general in Germany. These are the representations in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Munich with a total of 32 consular officials.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock justified the move with the “inhumane actions” of the Iranian leadership. “The fact that the assassination took place in the light of the latest developments in the Middle East shows that a dictatorial, unjust regime like that of the mullahs does not operate according to normal diplomatic logic,” said the Green politician.
The reaction to the execution has been harsher than many expected. The consular officials affected lose their right of residence and must leave the country unless they can demonstrate other reasons for residence, such as EU citizenship. However, the embassy in Berlin remains open and is still responsible for consular support for the 300,000 Iranians in Germany. The Foreign Office does not provide any information about the number of employees at the embassy.
So far, the federal government has only resorted to such drastic punitive measures once: As a result of the attack on Ukraine, four Russian consulates general were closed, albeit with a delay. The decision was only made 15 months after the invasion in May 2023 in response to the expulsion of hundreds of German civil servants and was not implemented until the turn of the year 2023/24.
Around 300,000 Iranians in Germany
Iran’s judiciary announced Sharmahd’s execution on Monday. He was sentenced to death in spring 2023 in a controversial trial following terrorism allegations. The federal government, relatives and human rights activists vehemently rejected the allegations against him.
Baerbock pointed out that the federal government had always warned Iran of serious consequences in the event of an execution. She called for the release of the Germans still imprisoned, the number of which is not disclosed by the Foreign Office.
German-Iranian relations, which were already severely restricted, have reached a new low with the closure of the consulate general. It is quite possible that Iran will take countermeasures.
After the death sentence against Sharmahd, the Foreign Office expelled two Iranian diplomats. Iran, for its part, responded by expelling the same number of German diplomats. This is a common 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 that the federal government considers to be contrary to the rule of law. Baerbock also again called for the EU to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Baerbock had already strongly condemned the execution on Monday. Baerbock first summoned the head of the Iranian embassy in Berlin to the Foreign Office. In a conversation, State Secretary Susanne Baumann conveyed to him her “strong protest against the actions of the Iranian regime.”
There is currently no Iranian ambassador in Berlin. The previous ambassador left as part of a regular personnel change and a successor has not yet arrived. After Sharmahd’s killing, it is unlikely that a new ambassador will be sent any time soon.
The German ambassador in Tehran, Markus Potzel, was ordered back to Germany by Baerbock for “consultations”. He has now left Iran. When he will return is also completely unclear.
The Foreign Office warns against traveling 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 number has been registered on the Federal 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 shop in the state capital Hanover for years. In 2003 he finally moved to California in the USA, where he became 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 city of Shiraz that left several people dead. The allegations cannot be independently verified – relatives of the dead had called for Sharmahd’s execution.
Critics 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 broadcast on state television may have been obtained under torture. The Sharmahd trial was presided over by Abolghassem Salawati, also known as the “Judge of Death,” who was sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.