Judicial authorities in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday closed down two branches of German Language Institute (DSIT) in the city.

According to Mizan, a news outlet affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, the branches had been designated “illegal centers affiliated with the German government” which had “breached Iranian law, committed various illegal actions and extensive financial violations.”

Eyewitnesses reported seeing security personnel cordoning off one branch in the Ekhtiareh district of northern Tehran, while images of a large police presence outside the language school were posted on social media.