Iran on Tuesday shut down the sole language institute recognized by the German Embassy, following the closing of Islamic religious centers in Germany.
The Iranian judiciary shut down the institute’s two offices, describing them as “illegal centers affiliated with the German government, which violated Iran laws, committed numerous illegal acts and extensive financial violations.”
The judiciary said additional investigations into other German centers were under way because of “reports of violations.”
Iran’s German ambassador said the closing of Islamic religious centers was Islamophobic and a “hostile action.” The centers were shut down in July, accused of promoting and spreading ideology to support the Hezbollah militant group.
Germany’s Interior Ministry said it banned the religious centers and affiliates because “it is an Islamist extremist organization pursuing anti-constitutional objectives.” German law enforcement raided 53 facilities.
This isn’t the first time German institutions have been closed in Iran. Tehran’s Goethe international institute, that Germany had in locations across the world, was shut down by Iranian officials in 1995.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
