It has been widely condemned that the British-Iranian man Alireza Akbari, who had been given a death sentence, was executed. The former Iranian deputy defense minister was detained in 2019 and found guilty of spying for the UK despite his denials. His execution was a “callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime,” according to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
France summoned Iran’s top diplomat to Paris and threatened to retaliate against Tehran for its continued violations of international law. The UK announced it would hold the regime accountable “for its appalling human rights violations” while also imposing sanctions on Iran’s prosecutor general.
James Cleverly, the UK’s foreign secretary, said that sanctioning him today “underlines our disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution.” Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over Britain’s “unconventional interventions.”
