Iran accuses the German Language Institute of criminal offenses. Therefore, the institution in Tehran must close. The reason is probably just a pretext.
Two German educational and cultural centers in Iran have been closed due to “illegal activities and financial fraud.” This was reported by the information service of the judicial authorities, Misan, on Tuesday. The service published photos showing security forces removing a sign for the German Language Institute in Tehran, which is associated with the German embassy in the Iranian capital. The identity of the second institution was initially unclear.
“We condemn the actions of the Iranian security authorities against the German Language Institute in Tehran,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office. The institute is a “popular and recognized meeting place” where people work to learn the language with “a lot of personal commitment under difficult conditions.” At the same time, it was said that the Iranian ambassador in Berlin would be summoned. “We call on the new Iranian government to allow teaching to resume immediately,” the spokesman continued.
The Nurnews web portal, which is close to the Iranian Security Council, interpreted the move as a reaction to the closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH). In July, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had the IZH closed because of extremist tendencies. The Berlin ministry also justified this by saying that the center had acted as a direct representative of Iran’s spiritual and political leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tensions between Iran and Germany
The German ambassador was then summoned to Tehran. Almost a week ago, the IZH association filed a lawsuit against the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s ban.
In recent years, there have been regular diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Berlin. Several German citizens, some of them with Iranian passports, are imprisoned in Iran. Critics accuse Tehran of holding foreign citizens as political hostages.
Iran denies the allegations and usually justifies the arrests with accusations of espionage. In early 2023, German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd was sentenced to death on terrorism charges.
According to information on its website, the German Language Institute Tehran (DSIT) was founded in 1995 by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Iran.
Note: This article has been supplemented with the reaction of the Federal Foreign Office.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
