Iran executes monarchist convicted of armed attacks during war

In a separate case, Iran executed German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd on October 29, 2024, following his conviction for "leading terror operations." Sharmahd was sentenced to death last year for "corruption on Earth" and accused of leading a US-based pro-monarchist group, which he denied. Germany's foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, stated that Berlin had repeatedly warned Tehran that the execution of a German citizen would have "serious consequences." The German ambassador protested strongly to the Iranian foreign minister regarding the execution. Human rights organizations have condemned Sharmahd's execution, with the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group calling it a "serious violation of international law." Sharmahd is believed to have been kidnapped by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020 and forcibly taken to Iran. Amnesty International claimed he was tortured in detention and forced to confess. Iranian authorities stated Sharmahd was the leader of the US-based group Tondar (Kingdom Assembly of Iran), which seeks to restore the monarchy, and had planned 23 terror attacks, five of which were successful, including a 2008 mosque bombing in Shiraz that killed 14 people. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the execution a "scandal."