TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci urged British authorities to protect the rights of Iranian citizens arrested in the recent counterterrorist attacks, expressing Tehran’s willingness to support credible investigations.
In a post on the official X account on Tuesday, Araghchi said several Iranians were “disturbed” by reports that they had been arrested by British security forces.
“If a reliable allegation of fraud is established, Iran is ready to assist in the investigation,” he said. “We call on the UK to respect the rights of its citizens and to provide them with legitimate procedures.”
His comments follow reports from British media that seven British citizens were detained over the weekend in two separate counterterrorism operations.
Five men (the four Iranians) were arrested on Saturday in Swindon, West London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester, according to metropolitan police. They remain in custody as part of a pre-planned investigation of suspicious plots to target specific locations. Authorities have not made the individual’s name public and the fifth suspect is still confirmed.
In another operation, three other Iranian men, ages 39, 44 and 55, were detained at various addresses in the northwest and west London under section 27 of the National Security Act. Met confirmed that a search for the facility is ongoing.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counterterrorism command, emphasized that at this stage two cases where no links were confirmed are being treated as separate cases. “The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various survey lines,” he said. He said “hundreds of executives and staff” were involved in the business.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has previously opposed UK allegations of ties between Europe’s Tehran and the criminal network. In April, ministry spokesman Esmaeli Baghihai dismissed the allegations that it was “bassed” and accused the UK of accusing Iran of diverting its destabilizing efforts in West Asia.
“Even though Iran has repeatedly called for evidence, London continues to make unfounded allegations without presenting any evidence,” Baghhai said at the time.