Iran

Iran's chief diplomat said Tuesday that Tehran opposes military escalation in the region but "will certainly respond" to the deadly Oct. 26 strike by Israel against his country.

During an official visit to neighboring Pakistan, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the Israeli attack on Iranian military bases and other installations, resulting in the deaths of at least five people, mostly security personnel.

"Unlike the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek escalation. However, we reserve our inherent right to legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," he told a joint news conference in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar.

"We would certainly respond to the Israeli aggression in a proper time and in a proper manner in a very measured and well-calculated manner," Araghchi said without elaborating further.

Israeli warplanes conducted the October 26 strikes, saying they were in retaliation for Tehran's missile barrage on October 1. Iran described its military action as a response to the killing of militant leaders backed by Tehran and a commander from the Revolutionary Guards.

On Sunday, Iranian state media quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying that a potential cease-fire between its regional allies and Israel "could affect the intensity and type of" Iran's response to the Israeli attack.

Dar stated Tuesday that during discussions with his Iranian counterpart, both sides condemned the "unrestrained Israeli aggression" in the Middle East and emphasized the urgent need for a "cease-fire" and "de-escalation."

Gas pipeline

Araghchi said that during his meetings in Islamabad, he also stressed the need to boost political, economic, commercial, and energy cooperation between Iran and Pakistan. He described terrorism as a mutual threat for both countries and urged enhanced cooperation.

The two foreign ministers did not discuss the status of a long-stalled multi-billion-dollar pipeline, though, intended to export Iranian natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan.

The United States is opposed to the project as a violation of its sanctions on Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

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US Does Not Support Pakistan Iran Pipeline

Under a 2009 gas sales and purchase agreement for the cross-border pipeline, the Iranian side must supply Pakistan with up to 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day from Iran's South Pars Field. However, the project has been on hold since then.

Iranian officials have long announced that the 900-kilometer pipeline is completed on their side of the border. Pakistani officials say they have not started constructing their portion of the pipeline for fear of being slapped with U.S. sanctions.

Tehran has been pressing Islamabad to uphold its end of the project or pay a reported financial penalty of up to $18 billion for delaying it.

Pakistan has recently hired the services of two U.S.-based law firms to represent the country at the International Court of Arbitration in anticipation of a potential situation in which Iran may compel Islamabad to fulfill its obligations or face financial penalties.

The move followed Tehran's reported final notice to Islamabad in August before seeking arbitration from the Paris-based body.

An Iranian official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd died before Tehran could execute him — directly contradicting the country's earlier announcement he had been put to death.

The comment by Asghar Jahangir came after Germany shut down all three Iranian consulates in the country over Sharmahd's death, leaving only the embassy in Berlin open. Germany later disputed Jahangir's remark.

Meanwhile, even Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has offered his own criticism of Germany's response to Sharmahd's death as tensions remain high between Tehran and the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and the ongoing Mideast wars.

The judiciary's Mizan news agency quoted Jahangir as saying: "Jamshid Sharmahd was sentenced to death, his sentence was ready to be carried out, but he passed away before implementation of the sentence."

He did not elaborate. Jahangir's remarks were made to the state-affiliated Quds newspaper after a weekly news conference, when journalists typically buttonhole the spokesperson into answering questions he didn't take from the podium.

Germany's Foreign Ministry, reacting to the official's comment, said, "His death was confirmed to us by the Iranian side.

"Jamshid Sharmahd was abducted by Iran and held for years without a fair trial, in inhumane conditions and without the necessary medical care," the ministry said. "Iran is responsible for his death."

Germany added it was "lobbying the Iranian government to hand over his body to his family."

The State Department in the United States, where Sharmahd once lived, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jason Poblete, a lawyer representing Sharmahd's family, told The Associated Press that the conflicting comments from Iran were "deeply concerning."

"This inconsistency raises serious questions about the circumstances of the death and the transparency of the Iranian system," Poblete said. "The family has been urging the German and U.S. authorities to investigate this matter to ascertain the truth, ensure accountability thoroughly and reunite Jimmy with his family in California."

Iran had said it executed Sharmahd on October 28. He was 69.

Iran accused Sharmahd, who lived in Glendora, California, of planning a 2008 attack on a mosque that killed 14 people — including five women and a child — and wounded over 200 others, as well as plotting other assaults through the little-known Kingdom Assembly of Iran and its Tondar militant wing.

Iran also accused Sharmahd of "disclosing classified information" on missile sites of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard during a television program in 2017.

His family disputed the allegations and worked for years to see him freed. Germany, the U.S. and international rights groups dismissed Sharmahd's trial as a sham. Amnesty International said the proceedings against Sharmahd were a "grossly unfair trial" because he was denied access to an independent lawyer and "the right to defend himself."

However, Amnesty also noted that Sharmahd ran a website for the Kingdom Assembly of Iran and its Tondar militant wing that included claims of "responsibility for explosions inside Iran," although he repeatedly denied being involved in the attacks.

Sharmahd was apparently kidnapped while on a layover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2020. His family received their last message from him on July 28, 2020.

It's unclear how the abduction happened, but tracking data showed that Sharmahd's cellphone traveled south from Dubai to the city of Al Ain on July 29, crossing the border into Oman. On July 30, tracking data showed the phone traveled to the Omani port city of Sohar, where the signal stopped.

Two days later, Iran announced it had captured Sharmahd in a "complex operation." The Intelligence Ministry published a photograph of him blindfolded.

In the time since his execution, Germany shut the consulates. It's a diplomatic tool Germany seldom uses and signals a major downgrade in relations with Tehran.

However, Iran has responded by criticizing Germany and the West, including Pezeshkian, who campaigned on a promise of getting sanctions on the Islamic Republic lifted.

"When someone who has slaughtered dozens is executed, they say you do not observe human rights," Pezeshkian said.