Closure of German Language Institute in Tehran by Judicial Order; Berlin Summons Iranian Ambassador

Reports from Iran indicate that agents of the Islamic Republic's law enforcement force raided the German language institute known as 'Goethe' in Tehran and sealed it. In response, Germany stated that it would summon the Iranian ambassador. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, announced on Tuesday, August 30, without mentioning the Goethe Institute, that 'two branches of illegal centers affiliated with the German government, which violated the country's laws and committed numerous illegal acts and extensive financial violations, were closed by judicial order.' In a statement published by this news agency, it was claimed that reports of 'violations by other German-affiliated centers' in Iran had been received and 'investigations' are underway regarding them. In reaction to this action, Germany stated that it would summon the ambassador of the Islamic Republic and urged the new Iranian government to immediately allow the continuation of German language education at the institute under the German embassy's supervision. The German Foreign Ministry's statement condemned the security forces' actions against the 'German language institute' and emphasized that 'there is no justification for this action. Language exchange is the foundation of mutual understanding.' Images shared on social media show several law enforcement vehicles stopping in front of the institute on Dibaji Street, with some officers removing its entrance sign. Some social media users noted that the closure occurred during the German language exam. Natalie Amiri, a journalist for ARD who was a reporter in Tehran from 2015 to 2020, told Radio Farda that around 50 masked agents of the Islamic Republic raided the institute at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Amiri, now residing in Munich, added that the agents first confiscated the mobile phones and laptops of employees and language learners, and then closed the language center by removing its sign. She stated that three weeks prior, following the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg, affiliated with the Islamic Republic, several employees of the German language institute had been summoned to the judiciary. According to this journalist, they were told that the institute would soon be closed and that this action was a response to the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg. Earlier speculations also suggested that the closure of the German language institute was in response to the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg by the German government. The Islamic Center of Hamburg and its affiliated institutions were closed on August 25 this year by the German Ministry of the Interior due to their adherence to radical Islamist goals. The 'Islamic Center of Hamburg' has been classified as an extremist center by the German intelligence agency, which previously stated that the center often promotes 'openly anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli views.' The closure of this center provoked anger from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, with the director general for Western Europe calling the German government's action 'hostile and contrary to fundamental human rights principles' and condemning it. Mohammad Hadi Moftah, the head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg and a direct representative of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic at this center, was expelled from Germany in November 2022 during widespread protests in Iran. The 'German Language Institute in Tehran,' established in 1995, is a non-profit organization operating under the German embassy in Tehran. This institute somewhat replaced the Goethe Institute, which was closed by the Islamic Republic's officials about seven years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and for this reason, many Iranian citizens still refer to the German language institute as 'Goethe.' The German embassy's website in Iran states that all Goethe Institute exams are held at this institute. The Goethe Institute's mission is to promote the German language and culture in various countries.