Germany Orders Closure Of Iranian Consulates In Response To Execution

• Iranian consulates in Germany to be closed following Sharmahd's execution.

• Jamshid Sharmahd, a 69-year-old Iranian German, was executed in Iran on terrorism charges.

• Sharmahd was abducted in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian security forces.

People commemorate Iranian-German Jamshid Sharmahd during a protest following his execution in Iran, near the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

AP

Germany has taken a significant diplomatic step by ordering the closure of all three Iranian consulates within its borders. This decision comes in response to the recent execution of Iranian German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd in Iran. Sharmahd, a 69-year-old individual who resided in the United States, was abducted in Dubai in 2020 by Iranian security forces.

The Iranian judiciary confirmed that Sharmahd was put to death on Monday on charges related to terrorism. However, the trial that led to his execution in 2023 was widely criticized by Germany, the United States, and various international human rights organizations, who deemed it to be a sham.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the announcement regarding the closure of the Iranian consulates in Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich. With these closures, Iran's only remaining diplomatic presence in Germany will be its embassy in Berlin.