On Wednesday, Iran declared two German diplomats undesirable and ordered them to leave the country, accusing Berlin of meddling in Tehran’s legal affairs.

The move comes after Germany expelled two employees from the Iranian embassy in Berlin last week in retaliation for Iran’s sentence to death on a German citizen.

“Two German diplomats are being expelled due to Germany’s irresponsible interference in Iran’s internal and judicial affairs,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will act strongly against excessive demands.”

Germany called on Iran to overturn the death sentence handed down on German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmad on charges of “corruption on the ground”. However, the verdict can be appealed.

Iran accuses Sharman, who also lives in the US, of leading a pro-monarchist group accused of the deadly 2008 bombing and planning other attacks in the country.

Tensions between Iran and the West have escalated in recent months, overshadowing already stalled attempts to restart talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Germany has strongly supported European Union sanctions against Iran over its crackdown on protesters in the country. The EU plans to expand the measures to include Iranian players involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Source: Reuters.