Diplomatic protest
Iran: German ambassador summoned
Updated on 02/18/2026 – 07:28 amReading time: 1 min.
At the weekend, around 250,000 people demonstrated in Munich against Iran’s leadership. Now there is a reaction from Tehran.
Iran says it has summoned the designated German ambassador in protest. The reason for this was “anti-Iranian activities” in Germany and “destructive” positions of German politicians, state radio reported. During a conversation at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, the Iranian government’s protest was conveyed to Axel Dittmann. It was initially unclear when the meeting took place. There was initially no statement from the Foreign Office.
The background is likely to be the large-scale demonstration against Iran’s leadership, in which around 250,000 people took part in Munich on Saturday – more than ever before at an Iran demo in Germany. Several German politicians expressed solidarity with the protest movement, including Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and the CDU foreign politician Armin Laschet.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah of Persia who was overthrown in 1979 and has been living in exile for decades, called for the day of action on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. He is now considered one of the central opposition figures abroad.
At the beginning of January, Iran’s security apparatus brutally suppressed mass protests in the country. According to the activist network HRANA, more than 7,000 people died. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) also sharply criticized the Iranian leadership.
