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The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has summoned Iran’s ambassador to London, SEED Ali Mousavi, in a sharp diplomatic move over what it described as Tehran’s “reckless and destabilizing actions” both in the UK and internationally.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the action follows recent security developments involving individuals accused of acting on behalf of Iran’s intelligence services.
“The summons follows the recent indictment of two people, one Iranian national and one British-Iranian dual national, under the National Security Act, on suspicion of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.
Reiterating its stance, the British government warned that it would not tolerate threats to national security. “This government will take all necessary action to protect the British people, including exposing Iran’s reckless and destabilizing actions at home and abroad,” the spokesperson added.
The diplomatic escalation came after two Iranian nationals were indicted before a London court last week on charges of espionage activities targeting the Jewish community. Authorities claim the suspects carried out surveillance at potential locations, including synagogues, allegedly in Tehran’s name.
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Security agencies, including MI5, and members of parliament, have repeatedly raised concerns about what they describe as increasing threats related to Iran’s operations, particularly amid ongoing tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Prosecutors identified the defendants as Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, a dual Iranian-British citizen, and Alireza Farasati, 22, an Iranian citizen. Both face charges related to alleged contacts intended to support foreign intelligence services between July 9 and August 15 last year.
During the trial, prosecutor Louise Attrill stated that the defendants were “suspected of assisting Iranian intelligence services by conducting hostile surveillance of locations and individuals associated with the Israeli and Jewish communities.”
In a related development, British police revealed that another Iranian man, along with a Romanian woman, had been charged with attempted breaches of a Royal Navy installation in Scotland.
The pair were arrested while allegedly trying to gain access to the highly sensitive Faslane naval base, home to Britain’s nuclear submarine fleet and the Trident missile system.
Although the Iranian suspect has been released pending further investigations, Scottish prosecutors confirmed that “there will be no legal proceedings” against the Romanian woman, although they noted that options remained open if new evidence emerged.
The incident has raised concerns in the UK about potential threats of retaliation over Britain’s involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Although Britain has allowed American forces to use two of its military bases to support operations related to the crisis, officials have argued that the involvement remains “defensive”.
