Britain summoned Iran's ambassador, Saeed Al-Mousavi, on Monday to protest the arrest of three Iranian nationals on espionage charges. Just a day earlier, the government in Tehran summoned a British diplomat to protest what it said was the "illegal and unjustified" detention of an Iranian in Britain, the IRNA news agency reported.
This retaliatory behavior is taking place in the context of deteriorating relations between Tehran and London.
Iran has characterized the detention of its currently unidentified citizen as a violation of international law and expressed strong dissatisfaction with what it claims are politically motivated actions by the British judiciary, IRNA added.
The government in Tehran has warned Great Britain not to engage in further "unconstructive behavior" that could harm diplomatic relations, the Iranian state news agency reported.
Three Iranians have been accused of being Iranian spies, and on Saturday they appeared in a London court accused of engaging in illegal surveillance and planning violence against journalists working for an Iranian newspaper in Britain.
The Iranians were arrested two weeks ago in Britain, and police have detained four more Iranians in a separate investigation on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack. They were released on Saturday but remain under investigation by counter-terrorism police.
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