Germany Plans Closure of Iranian Consulates
Berlin plans to shut down three diplomatic missions in response to Tehran's execution of a German-Iranian terror suspect. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Germany has announced the closure of all three of its Iranian consulates in response to Tehran's execution of a German-Iranian dual citizen linked to terrorism, as revealed by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday.
“We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” Baerbock stated during a televised address. In addition to shuttering the consulates in Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg, she mentioned that Germany aims to push for EU sanctions against those responsible for Jamshid Sharmahd's execution.
Sharmahd was executed on Monday after being reported by Iranian state media for “planning and orchestrating a series of terrorist acts.” As a dual citizen of Iran and Germany, Sharmahd had been residing in the United States since 2003, leading a group of Iranian exiles with aspirations to overthrow the current ruling clerics and reinstate the U.S.-backed monarchy that existed prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In 2020, Iranian security forces arrested Sharmahd in the United Arab Emirates, after which he was taken to Iran and accused of carrying out various terrorist acts, including a 2008 mosque bombing in Shiraz that resulted in 14 deaths and 200 injuries. He was convicted last year and sentenced to death.
Earlier in the week, Baerbock criticized the Iranian government for “using death as a weapon,” cautioning that Sharmahd’s “murder” would bring serious repercussions for Tehran.
“Enough with the gaslighting,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi countered. “Jamshid Sharmahd openly and unashamedly led a terrorist attack on a MOSQUE that killed 14 innocent people. A German passport does not provide impunity to anyone, let alone a terrorist criminal.”
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed that the bloc condemned Sharmahd's “killing in the strongest possible terms” and is currently “considering measures in response.”
“How about ‘an EU measure’ to end the killing of more than 50k Palestinians in Gaza?” Araghchi responded to Borrell's statement. “How about ‘an EU measure’ to support the families of those killed by Jamshid Sharmahd? If not, Europe only stands for hypocrisy.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
“We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” Baerbock stated during a televised address. In addition to shuttering the consulates in Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg, she mentioned that Germany aims to push for EU sanctions against those responsible for Jamshid Sharmahd's execution.
Sharmahd was executed on Monday after being reported by Iranian state media for “planning and orchestrating a series of terrorist acts.” As a dual citizen of Iran and Germany, Sharmahd had been residing in the United States since 2003, leading a group of Iranian exiles with aspirations to overthrow the current ruling clerics and reinstate the U.S.-backed monarchy that existed prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In 2020, Iranian security forces arrested Sharmahd in the United Arab Emirates, after which he was taken to Iran and accused of carrying out various terrorist acts, including a 2008 mosque bombing in Shiraz that resulted in 14 deaths and 200 injuries. He was convicted last year and sentenced to death.
Earlier in the week, Baerbock criticized the Iranian government for “using death as a weapon,” cautioning that Sharmahd’s “murder” would bring serious repercussions for Tehran.
“Enough with the gaslighting,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi countered. “Jamshid Sharmahd openly and unashamedly led a terrorist attack on a MOSQUE that killed 14 innocent people. A German passport does not provide impunity to anyone, let alone a terrorist criminal.”
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed that the bloc condemned Sharmahd's “killing in the strongest possible terms” and is currently “considering measures in response.”
“How about ‘an EU measure’ to end the killing of more than 50k Palestinians in Gaza?” Araghchi responded to Borrell's statement. “How about ‘an EU measure’ to support the families of those killed by Jamshid Sharmahd? If not, Europe only stands for hypocrisy.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
