UK ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire was briefly detained during a protest in front of Amir Kabir University in downtown Tehran on Jan. 11 when he was attending an illegal gathering.
“UK ambassador’s act was unconventional and contrary to diplomatic principles and the Foreign Ministry issued a serious warning to him,” said Mousavi in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.
He said that the act seemed ‘suspicious and intentional’, warning that Iran’s stance towards the repetition of such measures by the UK will 'not be limited to only summoning'.
The envoy’s act was strongly condemned by Iranian officials as well as lawmakers as blatant interference in Iran’s internal affairs. Macaire left Tehran for London on Tuesday in what had been described as a preplanned visit to the home.
“He has preferred to leave Iran and we have been notified that this is temporary,” said the spokesman.
Meanwhile, a group of Iranian lawmakers submitted a bill to the Parliament on Jan. 19 calling for downgrading diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom.
Asked about the bill, Mousavi said that if any decision is made, the Foreign Ministry will implement it according to the rules, adding that the body is following the Establishment’s decisions.
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