German passport does not give immunity to terrorists: Araghchi
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Jamshid Sharmahd, the mastermind of a US-based terror organization, and also a dual German-Iranian national, was executed on Monday.
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Jamshid Sharmahd at the first hearing of his trial in the capital Tehran on February 6, 2022. (IRNA)
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, giving someone a German passport does not offer them immunity, especially if they are guilty of terrorism.
Iran's top diplomat defended the Iranian judiciary's death sentence of Iranian-German inmate Jamshid Sharmahd.
Sharmahd, the mastermind of a terror organization headquartered in the United States was executed in Tehran Monday, prompting Germany's foreign ministry to recall its ambassador to Tehran and summoning the Iranian charge d'affaires in Berlin.
The 66-year-old Iran-born German national and US resident was tried in public and charged with planning and directing terrorist acts, which carries a death sentence in Iran.
Sharmahd, leader of the Tondar terrorist group, is believed to be behind the bombing of a mosque in Shiraz, southern Iran, which took place on April 12, 2008, and killed 14 people and injured nearly 300 others.
Iranian authorities arrested the man in August 2020, and he is also accused of having made contact with FBI and CIA officers, as well as attempting to contact Israeli Mossad agents.
A representative of those affected by the crime asked the court for "the most severe punishment" for Sharmahd.
'No terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran'
In an X post on Tuesday, Araghchi chastised German authorities for making arrogant assertions about human rights, adding even the German people mocked them for their hypocrisy.
No terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran. Even if supported by Germany.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 29, 2024
Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd openly and unashamedly led a terrorist attack on a MOSQUE that killed 14 innocent people—including women and children. More than 200 were injured. The evidence is public and…
Araghchi emphasized that no terrorist will be awarded impunity, even if that terrorist is backed by Germany, adding that the Iranian people are still aware of Germany's previous support for Iraq's former President Saddam Hussein, including the provision of chemical weapons that murdered thousands of Iranians during the war in Iran.
"Stop supporting child killers and terrorists and do not hide yourself behind hypocritical human rights slogans. We have not forgotten about the chemical weapons provided to Saddam's regime by German nationals," Araghchi stated.
Germany approved over $100Mln in arms exports to 'Israel' since August
Data revealed by the German Foreign Ministry on Thursday indicates that Germany has approved over $100 million in military exports to "Israel" over the past three months, marking a significant increase following a drop in arms exports earlier this year.
The arms exports, valued at approximately €94 million ($101.61 million), have drawn scrutiny after the information was released in response to a parliamentary inquiry by Left Party MP Sevim Dagdelen.
Was für ein Zynismus, was für eine Heuchelei! Während die #Bundesregierung der Bevölkerung in Deutschland und im Nahen Osten Sand in die Augen streut mit stetem Verweis auf humanitäre Hilfe, werden die völkerrechtswidrigen Angriffe auf die UN-Friedenstruppen und die… pic.twitter.com/J20HLjqoWn
— Sevim Dağdelen, MdB (@SevimDagdelen) October 24, 2024
This news comes as the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) announced it has filed an appeal with the Frankfurt Administrative Court on behalf of a Gaza resident.
The appeal aims to halt further German arms exports to "Israel", arguing that they contribute to civilian harm in Gaza.
The plaintiff, a Palestinian resident of Gaza, lost his wife and daughter in Israeli airstrikes and argues that Germany’s continued weapons shipments could further endanger civilians in the region.
"The case challenges Germany’s responsibility in ensuring that its military exports are not used in ways that cause civilian harm," stated the ECCHR in a press release.
The focus of the case is on Germany’s approval of specific military components, including those used in "Israel’s" Merkava tanks, which are produced by German defense company Rheinmetall AG.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Rheinmetall AG have yet to comment on the appeal, leaving questions about the potential use of German-made components in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
