Iranian authorities have closed a German-language school in Tehran for unspecified violations of the law, the Misan website, which publishes press releases from the judiciary, reported Tuesday.
Misan reported that two “illegal” institutions run by the Federal Republic of Germany had been closed.
Security forces sealed off the German Language Institute in Tehran (DSIT) in the north of the capital, eyewitnesses reported.
Images shared on social media show a large police presence outside the language school established in 1995 by the German embassy in Tehran, according to the school’s website.
Nurnews, a news agency closely linked to Iran’s Security Council, saw the move as retaliation for the closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) in the northern German city last month.
German authorities banned the IZH on July 24, which was considered “a major propaganda center for Iran in Europe.” The assets and facilities of the center and five sub-organizations were seized in nationwide raids.
In response, Iran summoned the German ambassador and last week the organization filed a complaint against the ban.
Relations between Berlin and Tehran are tense. Several German citizens, including some with Iranian passports, are currently imprisoned in Iran.
Critics accuse Tehran of deliberately using foreigners as a political bargaining chip.
Iran has denied such claims and typically justifies the arrests with accusations of espionage.
Early last year, German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmah was sentenced to death on terrorism charges. His relatives strongly deny the charges against him.
