Iran shuts down German language institute over "legal violations, fraud"

The Institute of German Language Studies under the German embassy in Tehran has been closed by the Iranian authorities for systematic violation of the Islamic Republic's legislation and financial fraud.

This information was released by Iran's judiciary agency, Mizan, which also published a photo of police dismantling the signboard bearing the institute's name, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

According to the agency's report, "the court ordered the closure of two branches of illegal centers affiliated with the German government that violated the country's laws, committed numerous illegal acts, and [carried out] large financial frauds."

On July 24, the German Interior Ministry banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg and its branches, labeling the institution an extremist organization with unconstitutional aims. The ministry stated that the center supported the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is banned in Germany, and disseminated ideas of the Islamic revolution, allegedly originating from the Iranian leadership.

In response to the Iranian authorities' decision to close the Institute of German Language Studies at the embassy in Tehran, the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the German Foreign Ministry, TASS reports in a separate report, quoting a representative of the German Foreign Ministry.

“We condemn the actions of Iranian security authorities against the Institute for German Language Studies in Tehran. This cannot be justified by anything,” the German Foreign Ministry declared. The ministry emphasized that language exchange is the foundation of mutual understanding.

“The Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the German Foreign Ministry. We call on the new Iranian government to immediately authorize the resumption of teaching,” the ministry stated.

The Foreign Ministry further stressed that the institute is a popular and recognized meeting place where “people put a lot of personal effort into learning the language under difficult conditions.”

“The staff of the institute is very dedicated to their work, which also aims to strengthen ties between people in Iran and Germany,” the ministry concluded.

The Institute for German Language Studies was founded in 1995 by the German Embassy in Tehran and offered language courses at various levels leading to language certificates recognized in Germany. It is funded by its own revenues and is not part of the Goethe Institute.