Iran’s judiciary has clarified that Jamshid Sharmahd, a dual German-Iranian national sentenced to death on terrorism charges, passed away while in prison and was not executed, as earlier claimed by local media reports.

State media had reported on October 28 that Sharmahd had been executed, which led to a diplomatic dispute with Berlin. In response, Germany closed all three of Iran’s consulates in the country.

However, on November 5, Asghar Jahangir, a judiciary spokesperson, denied these claims, explaining that the judicial statement had been misinterpreted. The statement did not specifically confirm that the death sentence had been carried out, and no additional details about Sharmahd’s death were provided.

“There was no scheduled date for the execution,” Jahangir said. “He passed away before the death sentence could be carried out.”

Sharmahd, aged 69, was accused by Iran of leading a pro-monarchist group, which Tehran believes was responsible for a deadly bombing in 2008, as well as planning other attacks within the country.

He had been traveling from Dubai to India for business when he disappeared for several days, before Iran announced that he had been captured and brought back to the country.

The bombing occurred at the Sayyid al-Shuhada Husseiniya mosque in Shiraz, during a ceremony commemorating Imam Hussein’s death. Fourteen Iranians lost their lives and 210 others were injured in the attack.

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry accused Sharmahd, a former resident of Glendora, California, of orchestrating the bombing, a claim his family has dismissed as “ridiculous.”

In response to reports of Sharmahd’s alleged execution, the European Union issued a strong condemnation, accusing Iran of “illegally” abducting the software engineer and holding him for years in “inhumane conditions without a fair trial.”

Western governments and human rights organizations have long accused Iran of detaining dual nationals as leverage in negotiations with the West.