In reaction to the death of German-Iranian Jamshid Shahd, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Thursday that Germany would shut down the three Iranian consulates located on its territory.
In a televised statement, Baerbock declared, “We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences.” The consulates in Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg will also close.
Following the announcement of the execution on Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it a “scandal” and diplomatic protests were already in full swing.
“The fact that this assassination took place in the light of the latest developments in the Middle East shows that (Iran’s) dictatorial, unjust regime… does not act according to normal diplomatic logic,” Baerbock said.
“It is not without reason that our diplomatic relations are already at an all-time low,” she said.
The closures will affect a total of 32 consular staff, according to the foreign ministry.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry responded Thursday evening, denouncing the “irrational decision” that “cannot be justified”, and said it had summoned Berlin’s ambassador to Tehran to convey Iran’s “strong protest”.
Baerbock did not mention Iran’s embassy in Berlin but said Germany would “continue to maintain our diplomatic channels and our embassy in Tehran”.
Among other reasons, this was necessary in order for the government to continue to press for the release of the other German citizens whom “the regime is unjustly detaining”, she said.
