TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iran summoned Germany's charge d’affaires in Tehran on Sunday to protest against "destructive" comments made by some German officials supporting the U.S. assassination of Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
"Iran strongly criticized inappropriate, insubstantial and destructive remarks of some German officials," the Foreign Ministry said.
A German government spokeswoman said on Friday that the U.S. strike which martyred Gen. Soleimani was a response to Iranian military provocations.
Iran also summoned the Swiss envoy representing U.S. interests in Tehran on Sunday to protest against President Donald Trump saying Washington would target Iranian sites if Tehran attacks Americans or U.S. assets in retaliation.
Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday that "if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites”, including Iranian culture, that he said would be hit hard.
In London, the Iranian ambassador to the UK is to complain formally about a frontpage article in the Times claiming that Iranian generals are prepared to kill British troops in response to the assassination of Gen. Soleimani.
Hamid Baeidinejad said he strongly condemned "the vicious lie and provocative news by the Times today”.
He added on Twitter: "I will ask the concerned UK authorities to take swift action to stop such malicious false propaganda in this very sensitive time”. The embassy later confirmed it would be writing to the press regulator Ipso to make a formal complaint, as well as sending a letter to the newspaper.
The story was headlined "We will kill UK troops, warns Iran”. Although the embassy frequently takes issue with the slant of specific stories in the British press, including what it feels is anti-Iranian bias, it is rare for the ambassador to threaten a formal complaint.
The Times article quoted an unnamed senior commander in the Quds Force, the international wing of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, saying that British troops could be collateral damage in attacks on the U.S. military.
The UK has said it had no advance knowledge of the attack on Soleimani, but has so far neither condemned nor condoned the assassination.