Iran summoned the UK ambassador after protesters tore down its embassy flag in London, escalating tensions amid a deadly crackdown on unrest in Iran and US military considerations.
As Protests Rage, Iran Rebukes UK Over London Embassy Flag Removal (Image: X)
TEHRAN, Iran, January 12 — Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran on Sunday, formally protesting after a demonstrator tore down the Iranian flag at its embassy in London. The diplomatic rebuke comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s deadly domestic crackdown and Western condemnation of its government’s actions.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the envoy to convey a “strong protest” over an incident at its London embassy on Saturday. Video footage showed a protester removing the official Iranian flag and briefly replacing it with the pre-revolutionary flag, while other clips depicted embassy staff removing the substitute banner as crowds chanted insults. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported the summons.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper had already criticized Tehran’s handling of domestic protests. On Saturday, she posted on social media urging Iranian authorities “to respect the fundamental rights of their people to take part in peaceful protests, without fear of violence or reprisal.” This condemnation preceded the flag incident in London.
The Iranian government declared three days of mourning for what it called “martyrs” killed in violence it attributes to “criminal terrorists” and foreign adversaries. State media claimed the populace experienced “ISIS-like urban violence” targeting civilians and security forces, resulting in unprecedented bloodshed. Officials say over 100 security force members have been killed.
Independent counts conflict sharply with Iranian state narratives. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Sunday that at least 496 protesters have been killed and 10,681 arrested over more than two weeks of demonstrations across all 31 Iranian provinces. The nation has also been largely offline for over 72 hours due to an internet blackout.
The UK-Iran dispute occurs within a wider crisis. U.S. President Donald Trump is actively weighing potential military options against Iran in response to the crackdown, according to U.S. officials. In turn, Iran’s parliamentary speaker has warned that American military and commercial bases would be treated as retaliation targets if Washington intervenes.
A: A protester was seen on video tearing down the official flag of the Islamic Republic from the embassy flagpole and holding up Iran’s pre-1979 revolution flag. Another video later showed the pre-revolution flag hanging before an embassy staff member removed it.
A: Iranian state television said the three days of mourning honor “martyrs of the National Resistance Movement of Iranians against America and the Zionist regime,” framing the internal unrest as a conflict against foreign powers rather than domestic dissent.
