FM Araghchi calls for respect for rights of Iranians arrested in UK

Iran’s foreign minister has called on the UK to respect the rights of Iranians arrested in Britain, underscoring Tehran’s readiness to assist investigations in the incident. 

Abbas Araghchi made the call in a post on his X social media account on Tuesday, after the British media said seven Iranian nationals had been arrested in two major “counter-terrorism operations” across the country.

“Disturbed to learn that Iranian citizens have reportedly been arrested by UK security services,” Araghchi wrote.

“If credible allegations of misconduct are established, Iran stands ready to assist investigations. We call on UK to ensure respect for our citizens’ rights and afford them due process.”

The Metropolitan Police said five men, four of them Iranian nationals, were arrested on Saturday in one operation and thee other Iranians in another, without disclosing their names.

Those arrested were part of a “pre-planned” investigation into an alleged plot to “target a specific premises,” the Metropolitan Police said, adding that the “affected site” was made aware and is being supported by police.

Four of the five men arrested at locations across England — two aged 29, one aged 40 and another aged 46 — are Iranian nationals. Police said the nationality and age of the fifth were still being established.

The men were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester, and remain in police custody.

As part of a separate investigation led by the Met, three other Iranian men were arrested in London on Saturday.

The Met said three men — aged 39, 44 and 55 — were arrested under section 27 the National Security Act at separate addresses in north-west and west London, and had been taken into custody while searches continued.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the CTC’s head, stressed that they were not treating the two investigations into “separate incidents” as linked.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of inquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter,” Murphy said.

Investigators would “continue to work tirelessly,” he said, adding that there were “several hundred officers and staff working on this.”

In April, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned as “baseless and unjust” accusations leveled by Britain that the Islamic Republic was connected with certain criminal groups in Europe.

Baghaei said attributing the actions of certain groups to Iran is a clear blame game meant to cover up Britain’s own destabilizing activities, particularly in West Asia.

The spokesman said London repeated its unfounded claims without any evidence despite Tehran’s calls for the UK to provide proof supporting its allegations.