The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran says it summoned Simon Shercliff, the British ambassador, and conveyed Tehran’s strong protest to him.

On Tuesday, January 30, the ministry issued a statement declaring that the reason for this action was the new British sanctions and the accusations made by British officials against the Islamic Republic.

According to Iranian news agencies, the director-general for Western Europe at the Foreign Ministry condemned this action and described Britain’s accusations against the Islamic Republic as baseless.

This summoning took place after Britain accused groups aligned with Iran of being behind the deadly attack on American soldiers in Jordan and, along with the United States, imposed sanctions on a network targeting Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic.

On January 29, the United States and Britain sanctioned Unit 840 of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, four members, and three individuals associated with it for plotting the assassination of two Iranian journalists on British soil.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to convey, according to Iranian media, their strong protest against his positions that are considered outside the norms and diplomatic regulations. Iranian media say the reason for summoning Simon Shercliff was his meddling tweet coinciding with Journalist Day in Iran.

In his tweet, which was published on Tuesday evening, the British ambassador wrote that Iran has designated August 8 as Journalist Day. ‘We pay tribute to journalists who are not allowed to do their work and see their safety at risk.’ Mr. Shercliff called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to release those who have been arbitrarily detained, including journalists.

According to statements from the head of the Tehran Province Journalists’ Association, published on Tuesday, over the past year, more than 100 journalists have been arrested by the security and judicial forces of the Islamic Republic.