Iran executes German-Iranian national in terror conviction case

Jamshid Sharmahd, a 69-year-old German-Iranian dissident, was executed by Iran for "corruption on earth". He was accused of leading a US-based pro-monarchist group and helping to orchestrate a deadly terrorist bombing in Iran in 2008. Sharmahd, who operated a website and made videos claiming the group was arming people to fight, was seized by Iranian authorities in August 2020 while traveling through the United Arab Emirates. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, and Sharmahd's family disputed the allegations against him, working for years to secure his release. The German government warned Iran that the execution of a German citizen would have "serious consequences," and a Norway-based human rights group called the execution the "extrajudicial killing of a hostage."