TEHRAN -- Iran has called in Britain’s envoy in Tehran to protest after London alleged Tehran had made “threats” to the lives of UK-based journalists, the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.
The tit-for-tat move came as Iran’s charge d’affaires in London Mehdi Husseini Matin was summoned to hear a British protest over the alleged threats that forced Persian-language TV network Iran International to announce last week that it was relocating from London.
“Following the continued baseless accusations from England against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mrs Isabelle Marsh, temporary chargee d’affaires of that country’s embassy in Tehran, was summoned to the foreign ministry on Tuesday,” it reported.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday he was “appalled” by alleged threats to the lives of UK-based journalists “and have today summoned its representative to make clear this will not be tolerated”.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Cleverly’s comments were a continuation of Britain’s “Iranophobic policy” and called for an “end to this hostile approach.”
Last month, after Iran executed Alireza Akbari for spying for Britain, London launched a flurry of vitriolic accusations against the Islamic Republic.
On Monday, Britain imposed sanctions on eight senior Iranian figures, including judges, members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and regional governors, alleging that they were responsible for “horrific human rights violations.”
The head of the West Europe department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the sanctions as politically motivated.
“A country that allows the most severe discrimination and atrocities against immigrants and Muslims and forcibly transfers refugees to Rwanda in violation of international law is not in a position
to talk about human rights,” he said.
“Over the past four decades, the Islamic Republic has proven that it will not give in to foreign blame games and pressure, and accordingly, it will soon announce a reciprocal response to the British regime’s sanctions.”
British officials have made meddlesome remarks about Iran’s domestic affairs since the outbreak of recent riots across the country sparked by separatist and terrorist groups. London has voiced support for the rioters and hit dozens of Iranian individuals and entities with sanctions over purported rights violations.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced retaliatory sanctions against a number of European Union and British individuals and entities.
The decision came after the Council of the European Union and the UK announced sanctions against scores of Iranian individuals and entities over the Islamic Republic’s response to the foreign-backed riots that erupted in September.
The ministry referred to the reciprocal measures as “counteraction” approved by the Islamic Republic’s “relevant authorities” and authorized by the country’s “counter-sanction mechanisms.”
It specified some of the reasons for the enactment of the reciprocal measures as the EU and UK’s “support for terrorism and terrorist groups” and their “incitement to acts of terror and violence against the Iranian people.”
Iran’s intelligence bodies have found footprints of American and other Western spy agencies in the violent riots. The rioters went on a rampage, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed as a result of the violence.
The ministry further denounced the bloc and Britain for their “interference in the Islamic Republic’s internal affairs,” their “propagation of falsehood and misinformation about Iran.” It also condemned them for their cooperation with the American sanctions against the country, which amounted to “economic terrorism.”
According to the ministry, Iran’s reciprocal measures mandate the prohibition of the issuance of visas for those sanctioned and the prohibition of their entry into the Islamic Republic. The measures also order bank accounts and asset freeze against the designated individuals and entities.
The counter-sanctions list features 15 current and former European officials, including France’s Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Equal Opportunities, Isabelle Lonvis-Rome; French Minister Delegate for Industry, Roland Lescure; President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster; Director at Europe Israel Public Affairs, Alex Benjamin; President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Jamie M. Fly, and head of Germany’s National Command and General Space Operations Division, Major General Michael Traut as well as three German parliamentarians and two European Parliament lawmakers.
It also names 13 European entities, including the European Coalition for Israel, the Center for Information and Documentation Israel, Christians for Israel, the Eurospike arms company, and six German military industry companies.
The list further features eight British individuals, including Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations within the Metropolitan Police Service, Matthew Jonathan Jukes; member of the Board of Directors at The Jewish Chronicle, Alan Jacob, and six military officials.