According to state media, the UK earlier this month accused several Iranian nationals of crimes without providing evidence, wilfully prevented consular access in contravention of international law, and falsely reported several of the country’s citizens, according to a statement from the ministry late on Sunday.
The arrests were also alleged to have motivated the British government to “press on Iran” in light of the allegations.
Two days after British police arrested three Iranians for allegedly espionage for Iran’s intelligence services in violation of the country’s National Security Act of 2023, the diplomatic row arises.
Between August 14 and February 16th, 2025, Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
They were also accused of engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance with the intention of committing or supporting serious violence against a person in the UK when they made an appearance before a Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
A central criminal court was given jurisdiction over their cases, and the upcoming hearing is set for early June.
Seven Iranians were among the eight people taken into custody in May as part of two separate operations, according to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, one of the largest investigations of their kind in recent memory.
Investigations are ongoing as a result of the four other Iranians’ arrests in a “counterterrorism” operation. Last week, the eighth man was unarmed and released.
The UK has placed Iran on its highest tier under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), in a stated effort to enhance national security against covert foreign influences.
Tie-strains
Iran and three European countries have strained ties because of Tehran’s nuclear program, which is the subject of the arrests.
Iran has been repeatedly criticized by the UK, France, and Germany for allegedly cooperating with the IAEA to ensure the security of Iran’s nuclear program.
The trio was a party to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, which the United States unilaterally rejected in 2018. They were referred to as the E3.
Iran has, however, reiterated its commitment to pursuing a new deal in the US and reopened its dialogue with Tehran in response to four rounds of Oman-mediated talks.
First meetings between senior diplomats from both countries since they started talking about nuclear weapons with Washington last month took place on Friday in Turkiye’s Istanbul. There was no breakthrough despite the two sides’ commitment to continuing diplomacy.
Iran has instead repeatedly warned that “serious ramifications” could result from the E3’s push to invoke the “snapback” mechanism of the sluggish 2015 nuclear agreement, which reinstated UN Security Council sanctions that had already been lifted as a result of the landmark agreement.
Tehran and Washington have also struggled to agree on uranium enrichment, with Iran reiterating on Monday that it will not step down from its civil nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi remarked that “unrealistic” demands would only lead to a dead end after US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff claimed Iranian President Donald Trump’s administration would not permit Iran to enrich even up to 1%.
The E3 is also concerned about Iran’s repeated rumors that it has aided Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, accusations Tehran denies.
Tehran has not yet received a written proposal from the US, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, who spoke to reporters on Monday. A fifth round of negotiations is anticipated soon, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
He added that Iran supports a joint venture between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which it has not done before.
Source: Aljazeera
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