European Parliament's Reaction to the Execution of Jamshid Sharmad: 'Targeted and Serious Actions' Under Review

The European Parliament has stated that it is considering 'targeted and serious actions' against the Islamic Republic following the execution of Jamshid Sharmad, an Iranian-German citizen. On Tuesday evening, November 8, the Parliament described Mr. Sharmad's execution as 'regrettable' and announced in a statement: 'The execution of a European citizen severely damages relations between Iran and the European Union.' The European Parliament condemned the execution of this political prisoner 'in the strongest possible terms' and wrote: 'The European Union reiterates its demand for Iran to end the unpleasant practice of detaining foreign and dual nationals for political purposes.' The statement further noted that the actions of the Islamic Republic in restricting detained European citizens' access to consular services and 'also the failure to provide consular support and fair trial is unacceptable and in direct contradiction to international law.' The Iranian judiciary announced on Monday, November 7, the execution of Jamshid Sharmad, who had been kidnapped in Dubai and transferred to Iran. This action faced severe condemnation from Germany and the United States. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence had accused Mr. Sharmad in 2020 of orchestrating a bombing that killed 14 people on April 13, 2008, at a mosque. Mr. Sharmad's family deemed this accusation 'ridiculous' and denied it. In response to the execution of this Iranian-German citizen, Germany recalled its ambassador from Tehran and summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Berlin to the Foreign Ministry. The German Foreign Ministry stated on X that 'we have expressed our strongest objections to the actions of the Iranian regime and reserve the right to take further action.' Meanwhile, Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated on social media that having a 'German passport' does not grant immunity and accused Mr. Sharmad of killing 14 people and injuring 200 during a 'terrorist' attack on a mosque. Official media and security institutions of the Islamic Republic identified this dual national as the head of 'Tondar,' a media outlet associated with the Iranian Monarchist Association in the United States. The Islamic Republic has a long history of detaining and imprisoning dual nationals and dissidents residing abroad. However, in recent years, at least in two cases involving Ruhollah Zam and Habib Asyoud, in addition to their abduction from Iraq and Turkey, these two individuals were executed.