German FM Discusses Hostages With Iranian Counterpart

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian about detained dual-nationals on Wednesday.

While officially, the Germany Foreign Ministry only said talks concerned "consular cases", it is believed they focused on the several German citizens currently incarcerated in Iran, including Nahid Taghavi, a dual German-Iranian citizen who was arrested in October 2020 and subsequently sentenced on charges related to "propaganda against the system."

Another high profile case is that of Jamshid Sharmahd, who has been sentenced to execution by the Iranian judicial system. Concerns loom large that this sentence may be carried out imminently.

Sharmahd was accused of leading the pro-monarchist group Kingdom Assembly of Iran, which has been linked to a fatal bombing incident in 2008 and alleged plots for additional attacks within Iran. Sharmahd has denied the accusations.

Diplomatic relations between Iran and Germany remain marked by tension. Foreign Minister Baerbock consistently voicing her concern over the violent suppression of protests in Iran. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has accused both her and the German government of interference in Iran's internal affairs.

It is the first direct exchange between the two countries' foreign ministers since the Munich Security Conference last year.

Iran's diplomatic hostage taking policy has been at the top of the headlines in recent weeks after $6bn of frozen Iranian funds in South Korea is being released in exchange for five US-Iranians, and in return, five Iranians held in the US.