Iran summons Dutch envoy over expulsion of 2 diplomats

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran over the Netherlands’ expulsion of two Iranian diplomat, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The report quoted the ministry’s spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, as saying the “unfriendly measure” by the Dutch government was “irrational and illegal” and that Iran reserved the right to reciprocate.

The Netherlands last month expelled two workers from the Iranian embassy, the Dutch intelligence agency said Friday, without revealing the reason for their expulsions.

“Two workers from the Iranian embassy were expelled from the Netherlands on June 7,” AIVD spokesman Hulbert Bredemeijer told AFP.

“Unfortunately I cannot divulge any details of the matter,” he said.

The Dutch move came well before Belgium, France, and Germany this week detained six people over an alleged plot to bomb a weekend rally of the opposition People’s Mujahedeen of Iran in a Parisian suburb.

Earlier this year, the Netherlands kicked out two Russian diplomats in the wake of the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4.

Those expulsions formed part of a raft of similar measures announced by Britain’s allies including 60 from the United States.