TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has criticized Germany for advising dual citizens to avoid traveling to Iran as the country does not recognize dual citizenship.

“All Iranian citizens enjoy the same immunities, rights and responsibilities,” Khatibzadeh said on Sunday at a press conference.

“The fact that the German government has been involved in taking Iranian citizens as hostage and has arrested Iranian individuals at that country’s airports on bogus excuses cannot be a basis to level such accusations against Iran,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry of Germany has recently advised Iranian-German citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran.

According to reports, the ministry’s statement has mentioned the arrests of dual citizens and the coronavirus situation in Iran as the reason for this warning.

Mentioning the arrested Iranian-German dual citizens in Iran, the ministry reminded citizens that the Islamic Republic does not recognize dual citizenship.

Spokesman Khatibzadeh said, “In spite of all of the commitments of that country, the government that has violated diplomatic treaties is the German government.” 

“They have played an effective role in the arrest of an Iranian diplomat in violation of all international treaties,” the spokesman added.

Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat in Austria, was arrested in Germany in June 2018 on the false charges of being linked to a bomb attack plot in the French capital, Paris.

Belgian authorities said that Assadi had been arrested along with a 38-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a meeting of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in Paris, which was attended by the U.S. president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and several former European and Arab ministers.

Khatibzadeh reminded German authorities that they should pay attention to their responsibilities instead of accusing others.

“Annually, millions of Iranians who reside in other countries travel to Iran and return to those countries without facing any problems,” Khatibzadeh explained.

“Of course, all Iranians are responsible in the face of law and the crocodile tears of some European governments, which are involved in many human rights violations and are accomplices, are not acceptable for us,” the spokesman added.

Earlier this month, a group of Iranian lawyers gathered in front of the UN office in Tehran in support of Assadi.

They also issued a statement, which was signed by at least 1,842 lawyers, law experts, and university professors, according to IRNA.

In their statement, Iranian lawyers protested against the measure taken by Germany and Belgium which was against diplomatic norms.

They urged the UN to hold responsible the countries involved with regard to violating the Vienna Convention on diplomatic immunity.

Khatibzadeh has categorically ruled out the unfounded allegations against the Iranian diplomat.

He has stated that the countries involved in the case are accountable for violating the diplomatic rights of Iran’s diplomat.

Iran regards the detention of Assadi as an unlawful act and a violation of international law and the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention.

Tehran has formally protested to the authorities of the relevant European governments over the unlawful act against the Iranian diplomat.

MH/PA