Iran accuses Germany of defending “terrorists” after the death of a dual citizen

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Germany of defending a “terrorist” after death row dual national Jamshid Sharmahd died in Iran, sparking condemnation from Berlin.

Iran announced the execution of 69-year-old Sharmahd on October 28, but eight days later the judiciary spokesman said Sharmahd died before the “imminent” execution could be carried out, suggesting natural causes.

After the initial announcement of the execution, Berlin recalled its ambassador to Iran and closed three Iranian consulates in Germany. This in turn triggered what Iran called a “strong protest” from the summoned German chargé d’affaires.

“I regret that this is putting a strain on German-Iranian relations and I wish I could have prevented it,” Araghchi said in an interview published Friday by the German weekly Der Spiegel.

“But for that to happen, the federal government would have had to cooperate and communicate that this was a terrorist, instead of defending someone who had trampled on all humanitarian standards,” he added, according to the English edition of Spiegel published online.

Iran, which does not recognize dual citizenship, announced Sharmahd’s arrest after a “complex operation” but did not specify when, where or how he was arrested.

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

Iran sentenced Sharmahd to death for his role in a bombing of a mosque in Shiraz in the south of the country in April 2008 that killed 14 people and injured about 300.

Sharmahd was also accused of leading the Tondar group, which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Iran classifies them as a terrorist organization.

Jamshid Sharmahd’s daughter told AFP the family “doesn’t trust anything,” Iran says about the circumstances of her father’s death.

“If there is a body, it must be returned and brought back to us as soon as possible,” Gazelle Sharmahd said.

Araghchi told the Mirror: “If his family makes an official request, we see no obstacles” to the return of Jamshid Sharmahd’s body.

“The question of whether he was executed or died a natural death is beside the point,” he added.

During the interview, Araghchi also criticized what he called Western “double standards” that he said had failed to condemn Israel for its actions in the Gaza Strip, where the war with Hamas has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

“I do not refer to Hamas, Hezbollah and others as ‘proxies.’ I call them freedom movements. Your support brings no benefit to Iran,” Araghchi told the German publication.

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