Iran Summons British Diplomat Over Detention of Iranian National in the U.K.
Iran’s FM emphasized that the detention of its citizen appeared to be part of what it sees as a broader campaign of politically motivated actions by British authorities. The UK government has yet to issue a formal response to the Iranian protest.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran has summoned a senior British diplomat to protest the detention of one of its nationals in the United Kingdom, calling the arrest “illegal and unjustified,” according to the Associated Press (AP).
Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported on Sunday that the country’s Foreign Ministry summoned the U.K. chargé d’affaires in Tehran to express strong dissatisfaction over what it described as politically motivated judicial actions. The detained Iranian citizen has not been publicly identified.
The ministry accused the U.K. government of violating international law and warned against what it called further “unconstructive behavior” that could harm diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The move underscores worsening ties between Tehran and London, already strained by accusations of espionage and ongoing tensions over Iran’s internal and regional policies.
Espionage and Terror-Related Cases in the U.K.
The diplomatic row comes just days after three men accused of being Iranian spies appeared in a London court. They allegedly conducted surveillance and plotted acts of violence against U.K.-based journalists working for an Iranian opposition media outlet.
In a separate case, U.K. police arrested four other Iranian nationals two weeks ago on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Although they were released on Saturday, British counterterrorism police said the investigation remains ongoing.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not directly link its protest to these cases but emphasized that the detention of its citizen appeared to be part of what it sees as a broader campaign of politically motivated actions by British authorities.
The U.K. government has yet to issue a formal response to the Iranian protest.
Diplomatic tensions between Iran and Western countries have intensified in recent years, fueled by disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, its domestic human rights record, and allegations of transnational repression targeting dissidents abroad.
According to a report published by Kurdistan24 on Saturday, the charges against the three Iranian nationals are part of what British officials have described as an intensifying effort to counter state-linked threats on British soil. The Kurdistan24 report noted that the case represents one of the most direct legal confrontations between the UK and suspected Iranian operatives in recent memory, highlighting growing concerns in London over Tehran’s alleged attempts to monitor or intimidate dissidents and media outlets abroad. The report also emphasized that British authorities are increasingly treating Iran’s activities as part of a broader strategy of transnational repression, prompting heightened security measures and diplomatic scrutiny.
