Iran’s Ambassador Summoned as Hardliners Pressure for British Ambassador’s Expulsion

Britain summoned Iran’s ambassador in London. Simultaneously on Monday, hardline and principalist media outlets and a number of Islamic Consultative Assembly representatives claimed that Britain’s ambassador had “managed” recent protests in Tehran and should be expelled from the country.

French news agency AFP reported that Britain’s Foreign Office summoned Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador in London, on Monday, December 23 (January 13) in connection with the detention of “Rob Macaire” in Tehran.

Mr. Macaire was temporarily detained for several hours on Saturday last week, coinciding with protests against the downing of a Ukrainian aircraft by the Revolutionary Guards. Britain described this action by the Islamic Republic as a “gross violation of international law,” and Dominic Raab, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, called the detention “baseless and unjustified.”

Reuters news agency and Sky News also attributed the summons of Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador in London, to the “unacceptable detention” of Britain’s ambassador in Tehran.

One-Week Deadline for British Ambassador to Leave Iran

A group of parliament members on Monday, in coordinated and unanimous remarks, demanded the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Iran and advised Iran’s Foreign Ministry officials in different tones to carry out this action “more quickly.”

Hosein Naghavi-Hosseini, spokesperson for parliament’s National Security Commission, said Iran’s Foreign Minister will definitely be invited to the commission to explain to representatives about Britain’s ambassador’s presence at last Saturday’s gatherings. He called for a response from Iran’s diplomatic apparatus to the British government.

Alaedin Boroujerdi, a member of parliament’s National Security Commission, said Iran’s Foreign Ministry should give Mr. Macaire one week to leave.

Boroujerdi, noting that this action should be taken even if British officials respond, said the previous era has ended and according to him, “the nation and the system” can no longer tolerate “mischief by Britain’s ambassador.”

Principlist website Jahan News accused Iran’s Foreign Ministry officials of “negligence” in face of Britain’s harsh tone and their protest over the detention of their ambassador in Tehran, and wrote that one should wait and see what Iran’s Foreign Ministry has planned for the British embassy.

“Expel Him So Other Ambassadors Don’t Repeat It”

Abulfazl Hasanbeghi, member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also demanded that ambassadors’ movements in Iran be “monitored,” so that whenever they want to leave the embassy, they must inform security forces.

He considered the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Tehran a lesson for other ambassadors that will prevent similar actions from being repeated.

Hosein Sheikh al-Islam, former advisor to the Foreign Minister, said that if he were in the place of Foreign Ministry officials, “I would ask for the expulsion of the British ambassador today as an undesirable element” and would expel him from the country.

Reduction of Relations to Chargé d’Affaires Level

Simultaneously, the Student Mobilization Organization of Imam Sadiq University in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President, demanded the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Iran and a reduction in diplomatic relations with the country to the level of a chargé d’affaires.

Habibollah Dehmareh, a representative of Sistan in parliament, expressed surprise at the non-expulsion of Britain’s ambassador and said that Iran’s Foreign Ministry officials should not act passively.

Earlier, the Farsnews agency had criticized Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s mediation for the release of Britain’s ambassador in Tehran.

Hardline and Principlist Media Pressure for British Ambassador’s Expulsion

Since the news of the temporary detention and release of Britain’s ambassador in Tehran was published, several hardline newspapers and principlist media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards called this British foreign affairs official an “undesirable element” and demanded the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Iran.

Two hardline and principlist newspapers Kayhan and Resalat asked Iran’s Foreign Ministry to abandon “passivity.”

Fararu website on Monday, December 23 (January 13) republished sections of Kayhan newspaper’s article and wrote: “Kayhan claimed that the British ambassador, during his arrest, was so terrified that he wet himself, and when he was transferred to another location outside the mentioned gathering, his wetting was repeated!”

Hosein Shariatmadari, representative of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, at Kayhan, in his article by raising the question of why the British ambassador was “so terrified” by his detention, claimed that the British ambassador had a “mission” to “manage” “a bunch of celebrities” against Qasem Soleimani.

Shariatmadari called artists and celebrities supporting recent protests “traitors” who have “turned to the despicable sycophancy of America, Britain and Israel.”

Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, raised the same claim on Sunday and wrote that during the gathering on the evening of last Saturday (December 11) in front of Amir Kabir University, the British ambassador in Tehran was engaged in “organizing, inciting and directing some radical and destructive actions.”

Mohammad Kazem Anbarlooei, editor of principlist newspaper Resalat, in line with Kayhan’s position, while blaming America for directing and managing protest gatherings after the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft by the Revolutionary Guards, demanded the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Iran.

Iran’s diplomatic apparatus officials have so far made no comment on these reactions and the demand for the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador from Tehran.

Source: DW