Yesterday, Iran summoned the British charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest claims in which London said that Tehran had “threatened” journalists working in the United Kingdom. Last week, Persian-speaking Iran International said it forced him to move The Iranian News Agency (IRNA) said Chargé d’Affaires Isabelle March was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday “to protest the continued unfounded accusations against the Islamic Republic by her country’s government.” Republic of Iran”. Health”.
Iranian International Television announced on Saturday that it had been forced to close its offices in London on the advice of the police due to threats attributed to the Iranian regime. The channel, which has about 100 employees in London, decided to broadcast from Washington without interruption.
The channel provided extensive coverage of the anti-government protests that broke out in Iran five months ago and said two of its leading journalists received death threats in response to their reporting.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said on Tuesday: “I am shocked by the Iranian regime’s constant threats against journalists working in the United Kingdom and today I summoned his spokesman to make it clear that this issue is unacceptable.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Cleverley’s remarks were an extension of Iranophobia and called for “an end to this unfriendly approach of the British government”.
Iran’s relations with the UK are deteriorating after the UK imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials over a crackdown on demonstrations sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the vice police.
Relations deteriorated last month after Iran executed Ali Reza Akbari, a Briton of Iranian descent, who was found guilty of spying for Britain. Yesterday in Berlin, Germany announced that it was going to expel two diplomats working at the Iranian embassy in Berlin after an Iranian court sentenced a citizen of the two countries to death.
German Foreign Minister Analina Berbock said in a statement: “Following the death sentence of Jamshid Sharmahd on Tuesday, I called the charge d’affaires of the Iranian embassy. We told him that we would not accept a gross violation of the rights of a German citizen.”
The Austrian Foreign Ministry announced the man’s arrest in October and said it was in constant contact with his family. On Tuesday, she said: “He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for espionage and two years’ probation for good behavior.” The ministry added that it learned of the verdict on Monday and summoned Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday to express “our strong protest.”
She added that the Austrian ambassador to Iran was able to meet the man during three visits to the prison since his arrest, and the ministry stressed: “We will continue to use every opportunity to provide the best consular support to him and all Austrian citizens in detention.” all over the world.” Iran is detaining 17 Western passport holders in Iran, most of whom have dual citizenship, including two Austrian Iranians, and Tehran claims they have all gone through the relevant legal procedures, but human rights groups claim they are innocent and are being held in custody. as part of a “hostage taking” policy to extract concessions from governments Activists fear there may be more cases yet to be confirmed An Iranian court on Tuesday handed down a death sentence to a German Iranian whose supporters say he was abducted abroad and forcibly returned to Iran for a mock trial. Germany condemned the verdict, calling it “inhuman”.
