LONDON — U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in Britain amid a row over the treatment of journalists.
London-based independent TV network Iran International suspended its U.K. operations this weekend, citing what it called a “significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran.”
Cleverly’s department said in a statement Monday that its top official for the Middle East, Vijay Rangarajan, had held a meeting with the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Mehdi Hosseini Matin to stress that “threats to media freedom will not be tolerated.”
British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat meanwhile told parliament that terrorism police had advised Iran International to move to a more secure location in the U.K. Until that new studio is ready, the Persian-language outfit has decided to continue broadcasting from existing studios in the U.S., Tugendhat said.
“The U.K. will always stand up to countries who threaten our fundamental values of freedom of expression and the media,” Cleverly said.
The Iranian diplomat was previously summoned by the foreign secretary last month after Tehran executed two protesters.
