Iran expels 2 German diplomats

ANKARA

Iran on Wednesday expelled two German diplomats due to Berlin’s “irresponsible interference in Iran’s internal affairs.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the German ambassador to Iran was summoned to the ministry and was informed about the decision.

The move came a week after Germany declared two Iranian diplomats persona non grata in protest of the death sentence handed down to German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd.

Iran had sentenced Sharmahd to death on charges of “corruption on earth”, the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency reported.

Tehran accuses Sharmahd of leading the Kingdom Assembly of Iran group, an anti-government organization accused of carrying out a deadly bombing in 2008 and planning other attacks in the country.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report