Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned Germany’s ambassador to Tehran, accusing Berlin of levelling “baseless political allegations” against the Islamic republic, AFP reports.

The move to summon ambassador Axel Dittmann was in retaliation for Germany’s own decision to summon the Iranian ambassador over accusations that Tehran was involved in a plot to assassinate pro-Israel public figures.

“Levelling security-related accusations against Iran has long been a tactic employed by the Zionist regime and certain Western nations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said, in a statement carried by official news agency IRNA.

“Attempting to provide a judicial face to baseless political claims not only fails to lend any credibility to such allegations but also undermines the standing of the German judiciary itself,” the statement added.