Britain has summoned the Iranian ambassador for a meeting to protest the detention of London’s envoy to Tehran at the weekend, the government said on Monday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told reporters the government would convey its “strong objections” about the arrest, calling it an “unacceptable breach” of diplomatic protocol.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had already condemned the arrest of Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, in a statement issued after the two leaders spoke on Sunday. Iran had summoned the UK envoy on Sunday to complain about his attendance at an “illegal” rally in Tehran to commemorate those killed in a Ukrainian airliner mistakingly downed by the country’s military forces.
“Today, Rob Macaire was summoned because of his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally on Saturday,” the Iranian foreign ministry's website reported. Britain said earlier that its ambassador in Iran had been briefly detained on Saturday, which Iranian media said was because he was inciting anti-government protests.
Macaire denied taking part in a demonstration that broke out at a memorial for the 176 people killed when a plane was shot down. He later tweeted: “Can confirm I wasn’t taking part in any demonstrations! Went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of #PS752 tragedy,” adding that he left a few minutes later when he heard chanting.
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