Iran‘s foreign ministry summoned the British charge d’affaires in Tehran, state media reported on Monday, over the arrest of Iranian nationals and what it said were “false claims” levelled by Britain against the Islamic Republic.
Earlier this month, British police arrested 7 Iranian nationals in two separate operations, with three men charged last week with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, in this case Iran.
The three men were remanded in custody and will appear at a preliminary judicial hearing on June 6, while the other four men have been released from custody but still face an investigation.
“The responsibility for the inappropriate effects of such actions, which appear to be motivated by political motives to exert pressure on Iran, will lie with the British government,” state media quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.
Britain’s charge d’affaires was summoned on Sunday and requested to provide an official explanation regarding the reasons and legal bases for the arrest of Iranian citizens.
The British government has placed Iran on the highest tier of its foreign influence register, requiring Tehran to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK.