Germany has taken a significant step towards distancing itself from Iran, as the German government issued an order on Thursday to close all Iranian consulates in the country. This decisive action comes in the wake of the controversial execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian national, which has raised serious concerns about human rights and diplomatic relations.
This move further mars the relationship between the Islamic Republic and Germany, which stands as Europe’s largest economy and Iran’s biggest trade partner on the continent. However, Iran’s embassy in Berlin will remain operational, albeit under an increasingly strained diplomatic context.
“Our diplomatic relations are already more than at a low point,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated emphatically in New York, following Berlin’s decision to recall its ambassador to Tehran just one day earlier. This indicates a deepening rift in relations that have been fraught with tension.
Baerbock urged Brussels to take decisive action by placing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations, reflecting growing frustration with Tehran’s actions.
Germany’s formal downgrade of relations with Tehran can be traced back to the 1990s, during which the country faced intense scrutiny after the assassination of Kurdish-Iranian dissidents in Berlin. Although there were efforts to mend ties in the subsequent years, particularly after the election of reformist president Mohammad Khatami who sought to rejuvenate relations with the European Union, the recent events have starkly highlighted the fragility of such improvements.
In response to Sharmahd’s execution, the European Union announced on Wednesday that it was evaluating “targeted and significant measures” against Iran. While specific details of these measures have yet to be disclosed, the EU’s firm stance indicates a collective disapproval of Iran’s actions.
In its statement, the EU condemned the execution of the German-Iranian national and expressed full solidarity with Germany. European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell echoed this sentiment on his X account, emphasizing the bloc’s unified stance against human rights violations.
On Monday, Iran executed the 68-year-old dissident, a former software developer and resident of California, highlighting the severe consequences faced by those who oppose its government. Sharmahd was apprehended by Iranian agents during a trip to the United Arab Emirates in 2020, and he was forcibly returned to Iran, where he faced a judicial system that sentenced him to death in February 2023 on charges purportedly related to endangering national security.
