The “suspicious and unjust” arrests of Iranians come amidst the lingering tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and the fallout of the Russian-Ukraine war.
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned British accusations of what is called “suspecting” arrests of several Iranian citizens.
The UK earlier this month condemned Iranian people of several crimes without providing evidence, intentionally refrained from notifying Iranian embassies in time, and hampered consular access against international norms, the ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday, according to state media.
He also accused the British government of having “political motivations to put pressure on Iran” in the arrest.
The diplomatic spat comes two days after British police accused three Iranians of allegedly spying on Iran’s intelligence reporting agency under the National Security Act of 2023.
Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were accused of potentially supporting foreign intelligence reporting agencies between August 14, 2024 and February 16, 2025.
They appeared before the Westminster Magistrate’s court on Saturday, where they were also accused of engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance with the intent to commit or assist serious violence against British people.
Their case will be introduced to the Central Criminal Court, with the next hearing scheduled for early June.
The three are one of eight individuals arrested in May, including seven Iranians, as part of two separate operations that Home Secretary Ybette Cooper said were part of the biggest investigation in recent years.
Four other Iranians have been arrested as part of an ongoing “terrorist” operation. The eighth man was released for free last week.
In efforts to improve national security against secret foreign influences, the UK has placed Iran at the highest level under the Foreign Impact Registration Scheme (FIRS).
A nervous tie
The arrest comes amidst the tension between Iran and three European powers over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The UK, France and Germany have repeatedly criticised Iran for their lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful.
The trio, which branded E3 in the context of negotiations, was a party to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018.
However, the US has resumed consultations with Tehran to secure a new contract, and in four-round talks mediated by Oman, Iran emphasized that more consultations with E3 are also being held.
Since nuclear talks with Washington began last month, senior diplomats from both sides gathered in Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkier on Friday. Both sides emphasized their continued commitment to diplomacy, but there was no breakthrough.
Rather, Iran has repeatedly warned that there will be “severe consequences” if E3 pushes to evoke the “snapback” mechanism of nuclear trade in 2015.
Tehran and Washington have not been able to see their eyes so far when it comes to uranium enrichment. Iran reiterated on Monday that it would not retreat from its right to develop a civilian nuclear program.
After a special envoy to Middle Eastern Steve Witkov, President Donald Trump’s administration said that Iran would not allow Iran to enrich uranium by 1%, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said that “unrealistic” demands would only lead to a dead end.
E3 is also concerned about many reports that Iran is arming Russia for the war in Ukraine, Tehran has denied accusations.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghhai said Tehran has yet to receive written proposals from the US to proceed to negotiations for the fifth round.
He also said Iran has not proposed a joint enrichment venture between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but he supports such efforts.
“It would not be bad for the West Asia region, particularly the countries of the Persian Gulf, if nuclear fuel facilities and consortiums are being created in our region to build power plants that require more and more nuclear energy and require nuclear fuel, then it would not be a bad idea to allow everyone to invest.”