Germany to close Iranian consulates after execution of dual national

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany will shut all three Iranian consulates on its territory in reaction to the execution of a German-Iranian national but will allow Tehran’s embassy to remain open, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“Our diplomatic relations are already more than at a low point,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in New York.

Iran summoned Germany’s charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest against Germany’s “unjust” decision to shut all Iranian consulates, state media reported on Thursday.

Germany has already recalled its ambassador to Iran over Jamshid Sharmahd’s execution and summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to voice Berlin’s protest.

Iranian state media said on Monday Sharmahd was put to death after he was convicted of carrying out terrorist attacks.

Baerbock condemned Iran for playing politics with hostages, and accused Tehran of trying to use Germany’s support for Israel in the widening Middle East conflict to justify Sharmahd’s killing.

“More Germans are also being unfairly held. We are also deeply committed to them and continue to work tirelessly for their release,” she said.

Human rights organisation HAWAR on Thursday welcomed the decision to close the consulates but said the German government must intensify its efforts to secure the release of another German citizen, Nahid Taghavi, 70, who has been held in Iran since October 2020.

“The Federal Government’s lack of planning in dealing with the hostage diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran must finally come to an end,” the organisation said in a statement.

The minister also called on the European Union to add Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to its list of terrorist groups.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Riham Alkousaa, Parisa Hafezi and Enas Alashray; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Rachel More, Mark Potter and Sandra Maler)