Germany Shuts Down Iranian Consulates, Urges Sanctions Following Citizen’s Execution

Latest Developments

Germany will close all three of its Iranian consulates in response to the Islamic Republic’s execution of a German-Iranian dual citizen and prominent dissident earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on October 31. Baerbock said that relations between the two countries are at “more than a low point” after Iran announced on October 28 that it had executed 69-year-old German-Iranian citizen Jamshid Sharmahd. An Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced Sharmahd to death on charges of “corruption on earth” following a trial devoid of due process. Sharmahd, who had been living with his family in Los Angeles for some two decades, was kidnapped by Iranian security forces in 2020 while visiting Dubai en route to India and smuggled into Iran.

Baerbock accused Iran of playing politics with its hostages, saying, “We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences.” She added that Germany would urge the European Union to sanction those responsible for Sharmahd’s execution and to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organization in the United States since April 2019.

The consulates to be closed are located in the cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich. Thirty-two employees will lose their right to live in Germany and will be required to leave the country unless they have German citizenship. Iran’s Embassy in Berlin and the German Embassy in Tehran will continue to operate, although German Ambassador to Iran Markus Potzel has been recalled to Berlin for consultations. An unspecified number of German citizens are detained in Iran, including Nahid Taghavi, 70, who has been held hostage in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison since October 2020.

Expert Analysis

“Germany and all of Europe should ask what level of response will serve as a deterrent so that Tehran understands that there is a high price to pay for the killing of European citizens. When the Islamic Republic was found by a German court to be complicit in the 1992 murder of Iranian-Kurdish opposition leaders in a Berlin restaurant, every EU member withdrew its ambassador and severed ties with Tehran. It’s time for Europe to take decisive, impactful action once again.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action

“Closing Iranian consulates in Germany is a step in the right direction for Berlin’s Iran policy. But it is a fundamentally insufficient and reactive step to an act of international kidnapping, hostage-taking, and murder by the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Diplomatic energy and effort need to be marshaled now to have this move replicated across Europe and put the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the terrorist list.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow

“Germany should be applauded for taking a decision that was a necessary response to the cruel murder of one of its own citizens by the regime in Tehran. It now behooves Germany’s allies in the European Union and NATO to show solidarity with Berlin by reducing or entirely eliminating the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic presence in their countries.” — Ben Cohen, FDD Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Manager

Related Analysis

“Iran Executes German-Iranian Dissident Who Lived in California,” FDD Flash Brief

“Germany Closes Islamic Center Due to Iran and Hezbollah Ties,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s Abduction of EU Diplomat Adds to Troubling Trend of Hostage Taking,” FDD Flash Brief

“Ten Reasons Why the Hostage Deal with Tehran Is a Disaster,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad