An Iranian official claims an Iranian-German prisoner died before his execution

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian official claimed Tuesday The Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd died before Tehran could execute him – a direct contradiction of the country’s earlier announcement that he had been executed.

Asghar Jahangir’s comments come after Germany closed all three Iranian consulates in the country due to Sharmahd’s death, leaving only the embassy in Berlin open.

Meanwhile, Iran’s reform-minded President Masoud Pezeshkian voiced his own criticism of Germany’s response to Sharmahd’s death as tensions remain high between Tehran and the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and ongoing Middle East wars.

Judiciary’s Mizan news agency quoted Jahangir as saying, “Jamshid Sharmahd was sentenced to death, his sentence was ready for execution but he died before the sentence was executed.”

He didn’t elaborate. Jahangir’s comments were made to the state-affiliated Quds newspaper after a weekly news conference where journalists typically force the speaker to answer questions he had not asked from the podium.

Authorities in Germany and the United States, where Sharmahd once lived, were not immediately available for comment. A lawyer for Sharmahd’s family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran said it executed Sharmahd on October 28. He was 69 years old.

Iran accused Sharmahd, who lived in Glendora, California, planning an attack in 2008 at a mosque where 14 people were killed – including five women and a child – and over 200 others were injured. Further attacks were also planned by the little-known Kingdom Assembly of Iran and its militant wing Tondar.

Iran also accused Sharmahd of disclosing “secret information” about missile sites belonging to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards during a 2017 television broadcast.

His family denied the allegations and had worked for his release for years. Germany, the United States and international human rights groups have dismissed Sharmahd’s trial as a hoax.

Sharmahd was apparently kidnapped during a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2020. His family received their last message from him on July 28, 2020.

It is unclear how the kidnapping occurred, but tracking data showed that on July 29, Sharmahd’s cellphone traveled south from Dubai to the city of Al Ain, crossing the border into Oman. Tracking data showed the phone entered the Omani port city of Sohar on July 30, where the signal stopped.

Two days later, Iran announced that it had captured Sharmahd in a “complex operation.” The Intelligence Ministry released a photo of him blindfolded.

Since his execution, Germany has closed its consulates. It is a diplomatic tool that Germany rarely uses and that signals a significant deterioration in relations with Tehran.

However, Iran responded with criticism of Germany and the West, including Pezeshkian, who campaigned on a promise to lift sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

“When someone is executed who has slaughtered dozens, it is said that human rights are not being respected,” Pezeshkian said.