diff --git a/git/objects/submodule/base.py b/git/objects/submodule/base.py
@@ -1401,7 +1401,7 @@ def iter_items(
            pc = repo.commit(parent_commit)  # Parent commit instance
            parser = cls._config_parser(repo, pc, read_only=True)
        except (IOError, BadName):
-            return iter([])
        # END handle empty iterator

        for sms in parser.sections():

diff --git a/git/remote.py b/git/remote.py
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ def to_progress_instance(
    return progress


-class PushInfo(IterableObj, object):
    """
    Carries information about the result of a push operation of a single head::

@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ def raise_if_error(self) -> None:
            raise self.error


-class FetchInfo(IterableObj, object):
    """
    Carries information about the results of a fetch operation of a single head::


diff --git a/git/util.py b/git/util.py
@@ -1183,7 +1183,8 @@ def __delitem__(self, index: Union[SupportsIndex, int, slice, str]) -> None:


class IterableClassWatcher(type):
-    """Metaclass that watches."""

    def __init__(cls, name: str, bases: Tuple, clsdict: Dict) -> None:
        for base in bases:
@@ -1199,39 +1200,49 @@ def __init__(cls, name: str, bases: Tuple, clsdict: Dict) -> None:


class Iterable(metaclass=IterableClassWatcher):
-    """Defines an interface for iterable items, so there is a uniform way to retrieve
-    and iterate items within the git repository."""

    __slots__ = ()

    _id_attribute_ = "attribute that most suitably identifies your instance"

    @classmethod
-    def list_items(cls, repo: "Repo", *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
        """
-        Deprecated, use IterableObj instead.

-        Find all items of this type - subclasses can specify args and kwargs differently.
-        If no args are given, subclasses are obliged to return all items if no additional
-        arguments arg given.

-        :note: Favor the iter_items method as it will

        :return: list(Item,...) list of item instances
        """
        out_list: Any = IterableList(cls._id_attribute_)
        out_list.extend(cls.iter_items(repo, *args, **kwargs))
        return out_list

-    @classmethod
-    def iter_items(cls, repo: "Repo", *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
-        # return typed to be compatible with subtypes e.g. Remote
-        """For more information about the arguments, see list_items.
-
-        :return: Iterator yielding Items
-        """
-        raise NotImplementedError("To be implemented by Subclass")
-

@runtime_checkable
class IterableObj(Protocol):
@@ -1246,30 +1257,37 @@ class IterableObj(Protocol):
    _id_attribute_: str

    @classmethod
-    def list_items(cls, repo: "Repo", *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> IterableList[T_IterableObj]:
        """
-        Find all items of this type - subclasses can specify args and kwargs differently.
-        If no args are given, subclasses are obliged to return all items if no additional
-        arguments arg given.

-        :note: Favor the iter_items method as it will

        :return: list(Item,...) list of item instances
        """
        out_list: IterableList = IterableList(cls._id_attribute_)
        out_list.extend(cls.iter_items(repo, *args, **kwargs))
        return out_list

-    @classmethod
-    @abstractmethod
-    def iter_items(cls, repo: "Repo", *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Iterator[T_IterableObj]:  # Iterator[T_IterableObj]:
-        # Return-typed to be compatible with subtypes e.g. Remote.
-        """For more information about the arguments, see list_items.
-
-        :return: Iterator yielding Items
-        """
-        raise NotImplementedError("To be implemented by Subclass")
-

# } END classes


diff --git a/test/test_submodule.py b/test/test_submodule.py
@@ -688,6 +688,18 @@ def test_root_module(self, rwrepo):
        # gitdb: has either 1 or 2 submodules depending on the version.
        assert len(nsm.children()) >= 1 and nsmc.module_exists()

    @with_rw_repo(k_no_subm_tag, bare=False)
    def test_first_submodule(self, rwrepo):
        assert len(list(rwrepo.iter_submodules())) == 0