‘CROSSROADS MOMENT’

U.K. Ambassador to Iran Arrested at Tehran Protest

Robert Macaire was released after more than an hour in custody, but the move has sparked further outrage against Iran.

The U.K. ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, was arrested and detained for more than an hour Saturday after attending a demonstration outside of a university in Tehran, Iranian state media reported. Macaire was held on suspicion of organizing, provoking, and directing radical actions, according to the Tasnim news agency. Macaire had been attending a vigil for the victims of the crash, which turned into a demonstration, The Guardian reports. Macaire left once the focus of the gathering changed, and he was reportedly arrested while returning to the British embassy. British Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement that Macaire’s arrest “without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law.”

“The Iranian government is at a crossroads moment,” Raab said. “It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to de-escalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards.”