Iran has summoned the German ambassador to Tehran, Axel Dittmann, over what it described as a “disrespectful attitude“ by German officials towards the Islamic Republic. The diplomatic protest was conveyed by Alireza Yousefi, assistant minister and director general for Western Europe at Iran's foreign ministry.
Tehran described the accusations made by German officials as “baseless” and said it protested the “repetition of groundless accusations“ against the country. Yousefi pointed out that claims of security-related actions have long been used against Iran by Israel and some Western countries.
Diplomatic dispute erupts after German convictions
The German reaction precedes the Iranian habituation. On October 19, the German Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Berlin after a court in Hamburg convicted two men in a case of preparing attacks against Jewish representatives in Germany.
The Higher Regional Court in Hamburg sentenced one defendant to eight years and six months in prison, and the other to four years and six months. According to the court's findings, one of the convicted men was directed by Iranian intelligence.
Among the targets were Josef Schuster, chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Volker Beck, chairman of the German-Israeli Society. The plans also included monitoring Jewish sites in Berlin, but the attacks did not come to fruition.
Berlin: Attacks on Jews will not be tolerated
The German Foreign Ministry said the country would not tolerate attacks on the Jewish world or on those who defend it. Berlin described the actions, which the court says Iran is responsible for, as a threat to a free society.
The Iranian embassy in Germany had previously rejected the accusations as unfounded and dangerous. After the mutual recall of ambassadors, the two countries have not announced any specific additional diplomatic measures.
Sources: irna.com, marketscreener.com, zdfheute.de