Sharmahd had been convicted of "leading terror operations" and was sentenced to death last year for "corruption on Earth" due to his alleged leadership of a US-based pro-monarchist group.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed strong condemnation over the execution, warning Tehran of serious repercussions. "The killing of Jamshid Sharmahd shows what kind of inhumane regime rules in Iran," Baerbock stated on social media platform X.

Human rights organizations have united in their denunciation of the execution. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights group based in Norway, described the entire process— from Sharmahd's arrest to his execution — as a grave violation of international law. Amnesty International also weighed in, claiming that Sharmahd had been forced to confess under torture and revealed that he had communicated his torture experiences to his family.

Sharmahd’s arrest in 2020 remains shrouded in mystery. He is believed to have been kidnapped by Iranian agents in Dubai and subsequently transported to Iran via Oman. Iran's intelligence ministry announced his arrest in August 2020, touting it as the result of a "complex operation" without disclosing further specifics.

His family, particularly his daughter Gazelle Sharmahd, has been vocal about the treatment he endured. Gazelle has urged German prosecutors to investigate the alleged mistreatment, referring to her father's detention conditions as a form of slow, excruciating execution in solitary confinement. She expressed her belief that Iran intended to use her father's public execution as a means to instill fear, stating, “They want a public execution for my dad, to send out this message of terror: that anybody who speaks out against the regime, we can do this to you.”

On Sunday, following the approval from the Supreme Court, Sharmahd was executed. The Iranian judiciary's news outlet Mizan confirmed the execution the following Monday.