Iran summons British ambassador again over London’s meddlesome statements

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the British ambassador to Tehran, Simon Shercliff, for the second time in less than two weeks over London’s interference in Iran’s domestic affairs.

The director general of Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Tehran rejects and strongly condemns the interference of the British Foreign Office in Iran’s internal affairs.

“Unfortunately, by issuing one-sided and selective statements, the British side shows that it actually has a hand in the [plots] of the hostile forces, who are acting in that country against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the top diplomat said.

This official also said that the Islamic Republic will consider possible options in response to any “unusual measure” by the British side.

Britain’s Foreign Office said on Monday it had summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, Iran’s most senior diplomat in Britain, over what it called a “shocking” crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.

“Today we have made our view clear to the Iranian authorities. Instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, they should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry official said London was resorting to “fake and provocative interpretations” of the developments to press ahead with its meddlesome approach.

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Protests erupted in several cities over the death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police station on September 16 and days later was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Iran has been investigating the cause of the young woman’s death, saying it will publish a report as soon as it concludes the probe.

The protests, however, soon turned violent, with foreign-backed rioters going on the rampage in several cities, attacking security officers, resorting to vandalism against public property, and desecrating religious sanctities.

Late in September, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had summoned the British ambassador over the “hostile atmosphere” created by London-based Farsi-language media outlets against the Islamic Republic.

It lodged a “strongly-worded note of protest” to the British diplomat over London’s hosting of the media, saying they had been fiercely trying to provoke violent protests and incite riots against the Iranian government and the public.

In remarks on Monday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the deadly riots were planned and carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime, as well as their “acolytes.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also said that although Amini’s death was heart-breaking, the ensuing riots “were not natural.”

“If it were not for the young girl, they would have invented another excuse to create insecurity and trigger riots in the country on the first day of [the Persian calendar month of] Mehr this year,” he added.

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