Iran summons UK envoy after calls for Tehran to release detained journalists

Iran on Wednesday summoned the British ambassador, the foreign ministry said, after he called in an online post on Tehran to release detainees including journalists.

On Tuesday, British Ambassador to Iran Simon Shercliff paid tribute “to all journalists prevented from doing their jobs and facing threats to their safety” on the occasion of National Journalists’ Day in Iran.

“We reiterate our call for Iran to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including all journalists,” he said on Twitter, which has recently been rebranded as X.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it summoned the British ambassador to protest what it described as “interventionist content.”

The ministry said it also conveyed Iran’s “strong protest” against his stances which were “unmeasured… irresponsible” and contrary to “diplomatic norms and regulations.”