Iran’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned by the Foreign Office after the embassy posted what officials described as “unacceptable and inflammatory comments” on social media.
Seyed Ali Mousavi was called in by Middle East minister Hamish Falconer following reports of an online message that appeared to recruit Iranian expatriates for martyrdom.
The Foreign Office said the minister condemned these “completely unacceptable actions”.
This diplomatic intervention followed a report in Metro detailing a message on the embassy’s Telegram channel.
The message reportedly urged the country’s diaspora in the UK to “sacrifice their lives for the homeland” and “lay down our lives” to “defend Iranian land”.
It concluded: “Let us all, one and all, give our lives in battle. Rather than surrender our country to the enemy.”
The embassy’s profile on X has also posted a series of comments about the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
A post on Tuesday appeared to suggest Israel was a “fake country”.
A message about the natural landmark Jashak salt dome said: “A real country’s salt dome overcomes the iron dome of fake countries.”
The Iron Dome is the name given to Israel’s air defence system.
The Foreign Office said: “The minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, summoned the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Kingdom, in response to the Iranian embassy’s unacceptable and inflammatory comments on social media.
“The minister made clear that these actions and comments were completely unacceptable and that the embassy must cease any form of communications that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally.
“Iran’s brutal and repressive regime will continue to be called out by the UK Government for its malign activities on UK soil, its reckless attacks against our allies in the Gulf, and its violence against its own people.
“The UK Government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority, and we will take all measures necessary to protect the British people.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the crisis committee set up to respond to the Iran war.
The Middle East Response Committee was considering contingency plans for the war’s impact on the economy, public services and domestic security.
Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas tankers, has pushed up prices and sparked concerns about supplies of chemicals and fertiliser.
Ministers at the meeting included Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are ramping up planning for all different potential impacts on the UK economy and consumers and that means focusing on live monitoring of stock levels and what plans are in place for addressing supply chain disruption.”
Asked if the presence of Mr Streeting was an indication of concern about the supply of medicine, the spokesman said: “We’re monitoring the situation closely, and we have robust and well-established processes in place to manage any potential disruption across the health and social care sector to protect patients.
“That includes holding buffer stocks, procuring alternative products where necessary, and processes to respond to sudden market increases, including adjusting reimbursement prices as required.
“The overwhelming majority of products are in good supply and we’ll continue to work closely with industry partners to help ensure the continued supply of medical products and boost resilience now and in the long term.”
Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the Chancellor had told the committee any support for households must be “targeted” and avoid any “lasting impact on interest rates”.
The spokesperson said: “The Chancellor was clear that the Government needs to be responsive and responsible – learning the lessons of the previous government’s response to the 2022 energy crisis.”
