Iran slams Germany, EU over criticism of dual national's execution

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday slammed his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and EU chief Josep Borrell over their critism of Iran's execution of Iranian-German Jamshid Sharmahd.

On Monday, Iran executed 69-year-old German-Iranian Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in February 2023 for the capital offence of "corruption on Earth". The sentence was later confirmed by the Iranian Supreme Court.

Sharmahd had been convicted of playing a role in a 2008 mosque bombing in the southern city of Shiraz, in which 14 people were killed and 300 wounded.

His family said he was seized by Iranian authorities in 2020 while travelling through the United Arab Emirates.

Iran, which does not recognise dual citizenship, announced his arrest after a "complex operation", without specifying how, where or when he was seized.

"No terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran ... A German passport does not provide impunity to anyone, let alone a terrorist criminal," Araghchi said in a post on X, urging Baerbock to stop "with the gaslighting".

Araghchi also accused the German government of being an "accomplice in the ongoing Israeli genocide," adding that Berlin was a top "provider of lethal weapons to Israel for its genocidal campaign in Gaza and carnage in Lebanon".

Baerbock said Sharmahd's killing showed that an "inhumane regime rules in Tehran" and vowed that it "would have serious consequences".

Borrell meanwhile said that the European Union "is considering measures in response" to Sharmahd's execution.

"Europe only stands for hypocrisy," said Araghchi in a separate post on X, accusing the EU of failing to take measures to "end the killing of more than 50k Palestinians in Gaza" or "to allow 1.5m refugees in Lebanon to return to their homes".

On Tuesday, Berlin summoned Iran's charge d'affaires to "convey its strong protest against the actions of the Iranian regime".

The German ambassador in Tehran also protested to the Iranian foreign ministry and was then recalled to Berlin for consultations.

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Kaynak: AFP