Germany urges citizens to leave Iran

The German Foreign Ministry has urged all German citizens to leave Iran following violent government crackdowns in recent days on nationwide protests against the Iranian regime, reported dpa.

German nationals are at "concrete risk of being arbitrarily arrested, interrogated and sentenced to lengthy prison terms," the ministry warned in a notice posted online Thursday.

Iranian authorities have recently arrested large numbers of foreign nationals on arbitrary grounds, and anyone remaining in the country should behave very carefully and avoid large and demonstrations, it said.

The German government warned that German-Iranian dual nationals are at particular risk.

Communication services have been severely restricted inside Iran, something that is expected to continue.

The German government's request that German citizens leave Iran was necessary to account for the "changed security situation" in the country and protect German nationals who have remained in the country, a spokesperson told dpa. "The violent and escalating conduct of the Iranian security services made this step necessary."

The German embassy in Tehran remains open and continues to operate unaffected, according to the spokesperson.

Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme religious leader, recently described the protests as a "hybrid war" and sought to blame the "insidious and malicious European powers."

The protests erupted in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd. She died in police custody in September after being arrested by the country's morality police for allegedly violating strictly enforced dress codes for women.

Tens of thousands of people have been demonstrating against the Islamic Republic's repressive and authoritarian rule for almost seven weeks. According to human rights activists, more than 280 people have been killed and more than 14,000 arrested during the protests.