In a significant move against Tehran’s influence in Europe, Germany has ordered the expulsion of Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, the former head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg (IZH), following a series of actions aimed at curbing the activities of Iranian proxies and their affiliates. The Hamburg state’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed on August 29, 2024, that Mofatteh, aged 57, has been given until September 11 to leave the country or face deportation to Iran at his own expense.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry, Mofatteh must depart Germany within 14 days or risk severe consequences, including a ban on re-entry and up to three years of imprisonment for non-compliance. The decision follows the recent prohibition of the Islamic Center of Hamburg, which German authorities have categorized as an extremist organization.
German media outlet Bild reported, “Mofatteh is a well-trained representative of the current regime in Tehran. His family is firmly embedded in the state-religious elite of Iran.” According to t-online, Mofatteh, until recently, served as the official representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in Germany.
The expulsion comes on the heels of Germany’s ban on the Islamic Center of Hamburg, which has long been suspected of promoting anti-democratic and antisemitic ideologies aligned with Tehran’s state doctrine of exporting its Islamic Revolution. The German Federal Ministry of the Interior described the center as a “significant propaganda hub for Iran in Europe,” which acts as a direct arm of the regime’s Supreme Leader to disseminate aggressive and militant ideology.
#Iran News: #German Outlet Exposes Iran’s Regime Deep Ties with Hamburg Mosquehttps://t.co/5U52UNcYrw pic.twitter.com/soQSM0wIfR
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 12, 2024
Hamburg’s Interior Senator, Andy Grote, emphasized that Mofatteh’s removal is part of a broader effort to counteract Islamic extremism linked to Tehran. He stated, “As the highest religious representative of the inhumane regime in Tehran, his time in Germany has come to an end. We will continue to fight Islamic extremism with all the tools of the Residence Act.”
Germany’s decisive actions have not gone unnoticed by Tehran. Following the closure of the Islamic Center, Iranian authorities retaliated by shutting down the Goethe Institute in Tehran, a cultural and language institution. The Iranian regime alleged that two German-affiliated centers had violated local laws and engaged in financial misconduct, a claim widely seen as a tit-for-tat response to Germany’s crackdown on Iranian influence operations.
The expulsion of Mofatteh marks a continuation of Germany’s firm stance against foreign extremist influences within its borders, particularly those linked to Iran. In late 2022, Seyed Soliman Mousavifar, the deputy of the Islamic Center, was also expelled from Germany due to accusations of supporting militant Shiite extremist groups, including financing terrorism.
