Less than a month after the German government banned the Islamic Center Hamburg and 50 related centers, Iranian police raided two branches of the Goethe Institute in Tehran, forcibly removing its staff, employees, and visitors. The sign of the institute, which operated under the supervision of the German Embassy, was also removed.
Hours after the incident, Germany summoned the Iranian regime’s ambassador in Berlin.
On Tuesday, the German Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned Iran’s ambassador and demanded that the Iranian government immediately allow the Goethe Institute in Tehran to resume its teaching activities.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated, “We condemn the actions of the Iranian security forces against the German language institute in Tehran. There is no justification for this action. Language exchange is fundamental to mutual understanding.”
Government forces removed the signs from the institute’s branches in Dibaji and Qolhak in northern Tehran and sealed the institute, which operates under the German Embassy’s supervision.
Mizan News Agency, the media outlet of the Iranian judiciary, issued a statement on Tuesday labeling the Goethe Institute as an “illegal center affiliated with the German government” and accusing it of “violating national laws.”
The regime-affiliated media outlet also claimed that the two branches of the Goethe Institute had engaged in “multiple illegal activities and widespread financial violations,” stating that their closure was carried out “under judicial orders.”
The Goethe Institute, with years of experience, offers various German language courses for adults at different levels and conducts official and international language proficiency exams.
According to Mizan, investigations are “underway” regarding “other German-affiliated centers” operating in Iran, based on “reports of violations.”
Meanwhile, the Sabereen News Telegram channel, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated that this was “a retaliatory action for the closure of cultural and Islamic centers in Germany.”
The attack on the Goethe Institute comes as the head of a Health Ministry committee reported in an interview with a newspaper that there has been a large-scale migration of nurses to Germany, stating that in recent years, 30,000 hospital faculty members have emigrated.
Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution had previously stated that there is evidence indicating that the Islamic Center Hamburg is a significant propaganda hub for Iran in Europe and a branch of the Iranian regime.
According to a ruling by the Hamburg Administrative Court, the Islamic Center of Hamburg, also known as the “Blue Mosque,” has been classified as an “extremist Islamist organization.”
In June 2022, Hamburg officials issued an expulsion order to Soleiman Mousavi-Far, the deputy head of the Islamic Center Hamburg, and three months later, he was deported from Germany.
