'Baseless and irresponsible': Iran embassy slams UK's anti-Semitism accusations

Iran's embassy in London has categorically rejected "unfounded and irresponsible" allegations of anti-Semitism leveled by British officials, warning that London is providing a "safe haven" for terrorist groups while failing to produce any evidence to back its claims against Tehran.

The sharply worded protest came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Iran without evidence of encouraging anti-Semitism in Britain, saying authorities were investigating whether a foreign state was behind recent attacks on the Jewish community, including an arson incident at a former synagogue in east London.

In a press statement released Wednesday, the embassy expressed its "strong protest and serious concern" regarding recent remarks made by certain United Kingdom officials.

"The Embassy categorically rejects these baseless allegations of antisemitism directed at the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement said.

The embassy said that "guided by Islamic principles and a rich, ancient cultural heritage, the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically reject all forms of antisemitism."

It noted that "Iran is home to one of the world's oldest Jewish communities, whose members enjoy full recognition and protection of their religious, cultural, and political rights and carry out their daily lives and religious practices with complete security and freedom."

However, the statement emphasized that "Iran's Jewish minority, alongside other Iranian civilians, has also been affected by aggressive anti-Iranian policies and measures of the United States, the Israeli regime, and the Western countries, including sanctions and war."

The embassy cited as a recent example "the bombing in Tehran that the Rafi'-Nia synagogue was completely destroyed during criminal war of aggression by the American and Israeli regimes."

Drawing a clear distinction, the statement stressed that "principled criticism of the policies and actions of the Israeli regime, including its aggressive conduct and widely reported violations of International Law and Human Rights norms particularly perpetrating genocide, should not be deliberately or mistakenly equated with antisemitism."

The embassy also raised concerns about potential "false-flag operations," requesting the British government "to address such sensitive and suspicious incidents in a fair and professional manner, and to strictly refrain from any hasty or politically motivated attribution of such incidents to third parties."

The statement noted that "these unfounded accusations are made despite the fact that the British Government has thus far failed to respond to any of Iran's requests for evidence or substantiation in this regard, which itself demonstrates the absence of credible proof and the baseless nature of such allegations."

It added that "the United Kingdom has consistently declined to engage with Iran's professional proposals for the joint examination of such cases through the relevant authorities of both countries."

Iran categorically rejects UK terror allegations as ‘baseless', politically-motivated

Iran’s Embassy in the United Kingdom rejects any allegations or links regarding Iranian involvement in violent activities in Britain.

In a sharp counter-accusation, the embassy said "these groundless allegations against Iran are raised notwithstanding the fact that, over the past decades—particularly in recent years—individuals and leaders of terrorist groups and organizations responsible for numerous crimes against the Iranian people have been freely active in the United Kingdom and have made use of facilities and resources in that country to conduct terrorist activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

"Providing a safe haven within its territory for such elements is inconsistent with international instruments and conventions relating to the prevention and suppression of terrorism, and entails the international responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom," the statement added.

The embassy said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly condemns any unfounded and irresponsible accusation, which lack credible evidence and risk exacerbating tensions through the promotion of misleading narratives and once again urges the British authorities to act responsibly in addressing political and security matters."

Starmer issued his warning at a Downing Street meeting on Tuesday, after counter-terrorism police said they were investigating an arson incident at a former synagogue in east London.

Britain's 300,000 Jews have allegedly faced a spike in anti-Semitic violence since Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

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