Germany scales back Tehran embassy operations as Western nations urge citizens to leave Iran

Germany’s Foreign Ministry has reduced operations at its embassy in Tehran and issued a stark warning to its citizens: get out of Iran now. The advisory, renewed on February 20-21, 2026, described the security situation as “extremely volatile and very tense.”

The embassy’s updated advisory was unusually blunt by diplomatic standards. Germany warned that its Tehran embassy could provide “almost no support” for departures if the situation deteriorates further. The advisory also flagged the risk of arbitrary detentions, a concern that has dogged Western nationals in Iran for years.

Sweden issued parallel advisories during the same period. Germany has been here before. In November 2022, during widespread domestic unrest in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, Berlin issued similar calls for citizens to depart. The fact that the warning has resurfaced, with even stronger language about the embassy’s limited capacity, suggests the current situation may be viewed as more precarious than the 2022 episode.

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